rabbikathycohen

Almost thirty years ago, I got a phone call asking me if I was familiar with an organization then named Interfaith Hospitality Network. I was not, but I looked it up and was immediately hooked. Now called Family Promise, this nationwide movement brings together houses of worship to house, feed, counsel and return to permanent housing families with children who have fallen upon hard times. It is truly an amazing program with a great success rate, but only 3-4 families can be served at a time....

Yesterday, I had three political experiences that were profoundly disappointing and one “Roanoke moment” that gladdened my heart. In my first blog post I said that I love Roanoke for her beauty, lifestyle and most importantly, her people. I have lived in the Northeast, the Mid-West and the Southeast. In all of those places I developed good and long-term friendships, but I cannot say that I ever felt that the population at large was particularly or genuinely warm and friendly. After I moved to...

I live in a duplex in a zoned mixed-use neighborhood. We have single family homes, row houses, triplexes and duplexes. It is considered “high density” living and I love it. I wish this style of housing were more available in Roanoke City for those who would like it. It is not, however, affordable housing. It will not be the solution to Roanoke’s housing crisis. It will not lower rents or housing prices. Short of adding some extra units on available land, it does very little to address the...