Nicaragua RPCV Murray Sanderford opposes proposed low-income housing project



Nicaragua RPCV Murray Sanderford opposes proposed low-income housing project

Not the right area

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed low-income housing project in Wylie.

There are several reasons I believe this project will be detrimental to our community. First, let me say that I have a special place in my heart for the poor and disadvantaged. I spent two years of my life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua, where I worked every day shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the poorest people on Earth. I have also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. Please understand when I say that I have firsthand knowledge of the unique needs of the poor.

Having said this, there are reasons why the residents of the Wylie/Murphy community moved to this area: for its country charm, spacious and affordable lot sizes and homes, and the ability to keep our families safe and secure and away from "big city" problems.

I don't believe our community is prepared for the fallout. I can tell you from long, personal experience that low-income housing brings many burdens our community is ill-prepared for: dramatically higher rates of domestic violence, petty crime such as burglary and theft, and low-level drug dealing.

This will place a heavy burden on our police and emergency services departments, and the citizens will end up with the tax bill.

Last, but certainly not least, there are few jobs for low-income residents within the surrounding community, and public transportation is almost non-existent.

There definitely are places in North Texas that have the infrastructure to support low-income housing, but I do not believe our community is one of those places.

Murray Sanderford, Murphy

When this story was posted in May 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

---

---

May 7, 2005: This Week's Top Stories "Peace Corps Online" on recess until May 21 7 May Carol Bellamy taking the reins at World Learning 7 May Gopal Khanna appointed White House CFO 7 May Clare Bastable named Conservationist of the Year 7 May Director Gaddi Vasquez visits PCVs in Bulgaria 5 May Abe Pena sets up scholarship fund 5 May Peace Corps closes recruiting sites 4 May Hill pessimistic over Korean nuclear program 4 May Leslie Hawke says PC should split into two organizations 4 May Peace Corps helps students find themselves 3 May Kevin Griffith's Tsunami Assistance Project collects 50k 3 May Tim Wright studied Quechua at UCLA 2 May Doyle not worried about competition 2 May Dodd discusses President's Social Security plan 1 May Randy Mager works in Blue Moon Safaris 1 May PCVs safe in Togo after disputed elections 30 Apr Michael Sells teaches Islamic History and Literature 28 Apr

---

May 7, 2005: Special Events "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 Leland Foerster opens photo exhibition at Cal State RPCV Writers scholarship in Baltimore - deadline June 1 Gary Edwards' music performed in Idaho on May 24 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

---

Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

Read the stories and leave your comments.