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:2025-01-14 10:50:16
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! (4264)
Related
- What does the top five look like and other questions facing the College Football Playoff committee
- Pat McAfee says Aaron Rodgers is no longer appearing on his show
- Who will replace Nick Saban? Five candidates Alabama should consider
- Stephen Sondheim is cool now
- 1 monkey captured, 42 monkeys still on the loose after escaping research facility in SC
- DJ Black Coffee injured in 'severe travel accident' while traveling to Argentina
- Horoscopes Today, January 11, 2024
- DeSantis and Haley jockey for second without Trump and other takeaways from Iowa GOP debate
- Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
- Nick Saban retiring as Alabama football coach
Ranking
- Anti-abortion advocates press Trump for more restrictions as abortion pill sales spike
- DJ Black Coffee injured in 'severe travel accident' while traveling to Argentina
- Hundreds gather in Ukraine’s capital to honor renowned poet who was also a soldier killed in action
- Michael Strahan and daughter Isabella, 19, reveal brain tumor diagnosis on 'GMA'
- Gavin Rossdale Makes Rare Public Appearance With Girlfriend Xhoana Xheneti
- Ranking NFL playoff teams by viability: Who's best positioned to reach Super Bowl 58?
- Ava DuVernay shows, 'Gentefied,' 'P-Valley' amongst most diverse on TV, USC reports
- In his 1st interview, friend who warned officials of Maine shooter says ‘I literally spelled it out’
Recommendation
-
Gerry Faust, former Notre Dame football coach, dies at 89
-
$100M will be left for Native Hawaiian causes from the estate of an heiress considered last princess
-
Study: Bottled water can contain up to 100 times more nanoplastic than previously believed
-
President Joe Biden’s record age, 81, is an ‘asset,’ first lady Jill Biden says
-
Black, red or dead: How Omaha became a hub for black squirrel scholarship
-
Ukraine’s president in Estonia on swing through Russia’s Baltic neighbors
-
15 Secrets About the OG Mean Girls That Are Still Totally Grool
-
Nick Saban could have won at highest level many more years. We'll never see his kind again