| Dan Rodricks Dec 10 | Dear Mike Bloomberg: The last time I asked you to consider making a $1 billion donation to Baltimore Community Lending for a housing program here, Forbes estimated your net worth at $59 billion. In its most recent estimate, Forbes has you at $96.3 billion. Since you took the pledge to give away most of your fortune, let me try this again: Giving BCL $1 billion for a special housing program would turn thousands of Baltimore's vacant homes into livable domiciles and allow the construction of even more smaller homes like those in Hope Village, highlighted in my Sun column. BCL is a federally certified Community Development Financial Institution and has financed housing in underserved areas of the city, helping low- and moderate-income families become homeowners. Hope Village If helping people become homeowners is not the best use of a rich man's enormous wealth, it's certainly top five. You could put thousands of working people, who cannot afford to buy a house, into one of their own in a matter of a few years. You would put hundreds of people to work for thousands of hours rehabbing vacants and building Hope Village-style small houses. It's great that you've given a few billion to Johns Hopkins University, your alma mater. But you could do Baltimore a greater good with a donation for a major housing program here. Thus endeth my appeal. | | | | You can also reply to this email to leave a comment. | | | | |
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