HANNIBAL, Mo. — People attending the Tri-State Housing Summit June 13 in Hannibal were challenged to join a new effort aimed at creating more housing opportunities regionally.

Summit organizer Carla Potts of the North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC) asked the audience to solve the housing crisis by being part of what she called the “Coalition of the Willing” – public and private partners who will dedicate themselves to new development and renovation of existing housing.

“We’re not going to solve the problem overnight, but we can solve it one step at a time,” Potts said. “What we do today matters now and matters in the future. This is not unsolvable, but it’s going to take everyone of us to do it.”

The summit was attended by about 100 people and featured a variety of speakers. Included were NECAC President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Page; Deke Clayborn of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Wayne Crawford of Missouri Inclusive Housing, Jane Kelly and Hope Fick of Anchor House of Warren County; Katia Tumenko of AmeriCorps; U.S. Rep. Louis Riggs, R-5, of Hannibal; Mike Stevens of the Drew Lewis Foundation; and Community Development Block Grant representatives Justin Jackson and Brandon Jenson. Carrie Amirdash and Alison Ross spoke about how NECAC housing programs had benefitted them.

The annual event is hosted by NECAC, Two Rivers Regional Council of Quincy, Ill., and the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission of Burlington. NECAC organized the first summit in 2005.

Potts said several at the summit expressed interest in being part of the newly-formed coalition. The next step is to gather for a meeting in the next month.

More information is available by calling Potts at 573-324-6622.

In the featured image, NECAC President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Page addresses the crowd at the Tri-State Housing Summit June 13 in Hannibal. Page encouraged the audience to continue efforts aimed at new development and renovation of existing housing.