Current:Home > MarketsIllinois city becomes haven for LGBTQ community looking for affordable housing-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Illinois city becomes haven for LGBTQ community looking for affordable housing
View Date:2024-12-23 16:04:14
The dream of owning a home seems out of reach for millions of Americans, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. But in Peoria, Illinois, Alex Martin owns a home at age 30 — something she never thought would be possible.
"I'm black. I'm trans, and I'm visibly so, and so having a space that, like, I made that I can just come in and recharge, I'm ready to face the world again," she said.
And she's not alone. In recent years, many LGBTQ+ people and people of color, who are statistically less likely to own homes because of discrimination and wealth gaps, are moving to the same city.
At first, they came from places like New York and Seattle, where home prices are sky-high. Now, many are coming from some of the 21 states that have passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
Last year, realtor Mike Van Cleve sold almost 80 homes, and nearly one-third were sold to people moving from out of state.
Angie Ostaszewski says she has almost single-handedly grown Peoria's population by about 360 in three years thanks to TikTok.
"When I first started making TikToks about Peoria, it was about 'improve your quality of life,'" she said. "But in the last six months especially, people are relocating here more for survival, and that's such a different conversation."
Ostaszewski also said she would like for her posts to help spread the word even further.
"I love the idea of shaking up that big cities are the only places that LGBTQ+ people can thrive," she said.
- In:
- Illinois
- Peoria
- LGBTQ+
Lilia Luciano is an award-winning journalist and CBS News correspondent based in Los Angeles.
veryGood! (9898)
Related
- Kentucky woman seeking abortion files lawsuit over state bans
- Chiefs players comfort frightened children during Super Bowl parade mass shooting
- Four-term New Hampshire governor delivers his final state-of-the-state speech
- Authorities are investigating the death of Foremost Group CEO Angela Chao in rural Texas
- NBA players express concern for ex-player Kyle Singler after social media post
- Ex-Illinois lawmaker abruptly pleads guilty to fraud and money laundering, halting federal trial
- Kansas City mass shooting is the 50th so far this year, gun violence awareness group says
- Man who stuffed three Burmese pythons in his pants sentenced in smuggling attempt
- Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
- Hilary Swank shares twins' names for first time on Valentine’s Day: 'My two little loves'
Ranking
- Mississippi rising, Georgia falling in college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after Week 11
- AP Week in Pictures: North America
- Zendaya’s Futuristic Dune: Part Two Premiere Look Has a NSFW Surprise
- Matthew Morrison Reveals He Was Quitting Glee Before Cory Monteith's Death
- MVSU football player killed, driver injured in crash after police chase
- Jennifer Lopez Reveals Her Las Vegas Wedding Dress Wasn't From an Old Movie After All
- A loophole got him a free New York hotel stay for five years. Then he claimed to own the building
- Greece becomes first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex civil marriage
Recommendation
-
Disease could kill most of the ‘ohi‘a forests on Hawaii’s Big Island within 20 years
-
Jennifer Lopez will go on tour for the first time in five years: How to get tickets
-
Brother of dead suspect in fires at Boston-area Jewish institutions pleads not guilty
-
16-year-old boy arrested in NYC subway shooting that killed 1 and wounded 5
-
NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison dies at 86
-
Gwen Stefani receives massive emerald ring for Valentine's Day from Blake Shelton
-
The Excerpt podcast: At least 21 shot after Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade
-
Kansas City mass shooting is the 50th so far this year, gun violence awareness group says