I am writing in response to the article titled “Oak Park considers down payment assistance for first-time home buyers,” published in your newspaper on March 4.
There are many reasons this should be adopted in Oak Park and River Forest. First, it could help the younger crowd get into the Oak Park and River Forest area. The median age in Oak Park is around 40 years old, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Oak Park and River Forest area needs to find a way to welcome younger residents, as the towns continue to develop and appeal to younger folks with downtown additions and park district grants and additions.
The Oak Park and River Forest High School newspaper, “The Trapeze,” ran “A Case for Reparations.” While this would not be reparations per se, it would be a chance to help those who have been historically disadvantaged get a place to live in Oak Park or River Forest. As the article states, the median house costs $550,000 in the neighborhood where a younger crowd might live. It’s known that white folks are given more money on the dollar for the same job compared to those of color, so down-payment assistance would help younger couples and individuals with their first home.
The Oak Park community thrives from the diverse community it holds within, from Lincoln Elementary School and its Spanish Immersion Program to the numerous murals painted throughout the community. From Al’s Grill in Oak Park, which seems to have been there forever, to the new Pure Green juice shop on Lake Street, there is something for everyone, old and young in Oak Park and River Forest, allowing more people to experience it. This community could thrive even louder with more additions to its population, including young and old, Black and white, English-speaking and non-English-speaking.
What keeps us together is the community that Oak Park and River Forest builds.
Duke Walsh
Oak Park