Putting Down Roots: Community-Centered Housing
This is one of the top 10 Envision 2030 ideas to strengthen the Dubuque region. To reveal the top 10 ideas, we asked local artists to interpret them and auctioned their pieces to support implementation of the ideas. Read more about Envision 2030 and all top 10 ideas here.
Idea Description
Increase housing options for all people by focusing on creating more “missing middle” residences, inter-generational living options and resident-owned mobile home parks.
Artist's Statement
Rooted in Keys: Keys for All
By Lucas Delaney
This piece transforms reclaimed materials into an installation about housing, inequity and accessibility. Through layered imagery, the work tells a generational story: Families historically locked out of ownership present struggles with corporate control and inaccessibility while looking to a future vision of shared community and dignity. I bring my own lived experience of housing insecurity, poverty and inaccessibility into this work. I moved to Dubuque in 2021, and these issues are just as urgent here as they are nationwide. The work emphasizes that housing is a human right, yet too often remains inaccessible or unaffordable. It considers who has been denied entry, who currently controls access, and what collective ownership might look like moving forward. It acknowledges the physical and systemic barriers faced by disabled people, as well as the financial obstacles that prevent families generationally from securing stable homes. By calling attention to the stigma surrounding mobile home communities, it challenges audiences to see these neighborhoods as valuable and dignified, deserving of pride and investment.
Make It Real
Monday, November 10
5:30 - 7 p.m.
Q Casino, Reflections Room
Get ready to bring the top 10 Envision 2030 ideas to life.
- Team up with fellow community members on an idea you are passionate about.
- Brainstorm ways to collaborate on implementation.
- Leave with a plan for delivering a project that will transform the Dubuque region.