Valparaiso’s Human Relations Council doesn’t want to rush into creating the position that will oversee the human rights ordinance passed last year.
However, the community relations director position will likely also deal extensively with housing and affordable housing issues in Valparaiso, based on what council members and residents in the audience had to say.
Council President Heath Carter said that the process started at the April 4 meeting will not only continue into the May meeting but likely beyond to make sure it’s done right and not rushed.
“We are in the midst of a historical transition,” Carter said.
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The council and audience discussed the possibility of financing the position through donations as a start and about starting slowly, letting the position grow into what’s needed.
Council Member John Albers, former pastor at First United Methodist Church, said that housing belongs on the job description for a few reasons.
Housing is the first place where inequalities manifest and where inclusion and diversity play out, Albers said.
It’s not just about affordability, but “people live together and things change,” he said.
Valparaiso Community Schools Superintendent Ric Frataccia said that housing is always an issue, especially when he hires new teachers at $35,000 a year, and they can’t afford to live in Valparaiso.
James D. Wolf Jr. is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.