[StBernard] House Financial Services Committee Advances Legislation to Revitalize Public Housing

[Westley Annis]

July 29, 2010                                                     

 

 

House Financial Services Committee Advances Legislation to Revitalize Public
Housing 

Washington, DC - The House Financial Services Committee yesterday passed the
Public Housing Reinvestment and Tenant Protection Act (H.R. 5814),
legislation introduced by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) to preserve and
revitalize the nation's public housing.

"This bill preserves public housing, strengthens neighborhoods and creates
jobs," said Congresswoman Waters.  "The legislation would reverse decades of
neglect of America's public housing units, which are home to our nation's
most vulnerable populations."


The public housing program provides affordable rental housing for
approximately 3 million Americans in 1.2 million households.  Most residents
are elderly or disabled, and most are extremely low-income.  Congresswoman
Waters, who chairs the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee,
drafted the legislation with the help of Committee Chairman Barney Frank
(D-MA) and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) following a series of
hearings on public housing issues over the past two years.

H.R. 5814 consists of four sections or "titles":

Title I establishes the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.  Based on an Obama
administration proposal, this initiative would help local governments,
public housing authorities (PHAs), non-profit groups and other qualified
entities revitalize neighborhoods and preserve affordable housing.  

"Choice Neighborhoods builds on and improves the HOPE VI program, which
frankly did not give public housing residents much hope," said Congresswoman
Waters.  "HOPE VI does not require the one-for-one replacement of units that
are demolished or removed from public housing, and the result was a loss of
units.  Also, many displaced residents who wanted to return to a development
after it was rebuilt were screened out and denied a unit.  This bill solves
these problems."

America has lost 200,000 public housing units since 1995.

Title II would end the loss of public housing units by requiring one-for-one
replacement for any demolished or disposed units. The bill addresses
concerns of housing authorities by providing a limited waiver of the
one-for-one requirement and providing flexibility on the types of units that
can be used to replace public housing. The bill also strengthens protections
for residents, including prohibiting the use of rescreening criteria to keep
otherwise qualified residents from returning to public housing units.

Title III provides housing authorities with the financial tools they need to
rehabilitate and rebuild public housing. The bill establishes a program to
provide loan guarantees for the capital fund, injecting much needed capital
into the nation's deteriorating housing stock. The bill also includes
provisions to allow PHAs to finance energy efficient improvements to public
housing.

Title IV would create job opportunities for public housing residents by
establishing a training program for public housing residents to become
in-home health care aides to elderly and disabled public housing residents. 

Congresswoman Waters said, "More than 500,000 households in public housing
now include elderly or disabled residents, and this number will rise as the
nation's senior population doubles in the next twenty years.  According to
AARP, 92 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 74 want to continue
living in their homes as they age, and certainly many elderly public housing
residents would prefer to stay in their homes if they can get the health
care they services they need.  This bill is a win-win as it would provide
important health care resources as well as provide jobs for public housing
residents."

This proposal is based on the Together We Care Act, which was drafted by
Congresswoman Velazquez and examined during a field hearing that the Housing
and Community Opportunity Subcommittee held in New York City.  


###