HUD Secretary Asks House For Greater Commitment To Housing

By Aaron Richardson-Talk Radio News Service

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan testified in front the House Financial Services Committee thursday about the need for legislation to assist low income Americans with their housing issues.

“Today there are less than 3 units for every 4 low income households and only half the number needed for families who live in extreme poverty.” said Donovan.

Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) spoke candidly during the hearing about the hardships that many veterans face when it comes to inadequate housing.

“ As more and more of our troops come and try to acclimate back to their communities we as government must make sure that they have a home to come home to and provide that assistance.”

During the hearing, Sec. Donovan recommended extending fully funded section 8 contracts for twelve months,increasing federal funding for housing vouchers. Sec. Donovan also described some of the downfalls that HUD has faced in the past, saying, “Too often HUD’s policies and practices get in the way of preservation efforts instead of supporting them, that is going to change.”

Dodd Proposes Partnership To Promote Green Initiatives

By Courtney Costello- Talk Radio News Service

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) held a hearing Tuesday to propose the Sustainable Communities Partnership. This partnership includes Secretary of Transportation (DOT), Ray LaHood, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Shaun Donovan, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson.

The objective of the new alliance will be to publicize efforts to improve affordable housing, promote efficient and low cost transportation options, and to protect the environment during these changes. A $150 million dollar sustainable communities initiative will help fund the partnership.

“As the Chairman said, we need to synchronize climate change, energy, community development, housing and transportation policy in the most comprehensive way possible,” said Secretary Donovan. “Creating an office of sustainable housing and communities inside HUD to serve as a single point of contact with other federal agencies is the best way we can achieve that goal.”

The committee also stated that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide momentum with the $1.5 billion discretionary Tiger Grant program. This program will fund the Transportation Act that will promote sustainability and provide better transportation in rural and urban communities around the country.

The proposed program details six principles that will serve as the base for the agencies to work together. These include producing supplementary transportation options, advancing sustainable and affordable housing, increasing economic opportunities, revitalizing current communities, organizing funding and policies and enriching all communities.

Hurricane Katrina still ruining lives

Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) testified in a hearing for the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. He said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needs to get its priorities in order and produce the National Disaster Housing Strategy, which was due in July 2007 as part of the Post-Katrina Reform Act of 2006. He said that 5,741 families still living in temporary housing units provided by FEMA.

He said that The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been diverting funds that were necessary for reconstruction in Mississippi. Thompson said that the Governor of Mississippi redistributed $600 Million of HUD money that was appropriated for building low to middle income housing and diverted it towards a project towards port expansion. Thompson said that this is one of the major problems facing Mississippi, along with the fact that there are only 1,500 available rental properties statewide.

He said that we must hold federal agencies accountable for their mistakes, especially when they endanger the health of disaster victims.

Veterans owed more than blanket, hot meal

At the Senate Appropriations Committee, Joint Subcommittee meeting on “Homeless Veterans,” Senator Patty Murray(D-WA) said when our country fails to live up to obligations to our veterans, there is a result of high rates of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and chronic unemployment, and all of these are contributing factors to homelessness. Experts estimate that 1 in 4 of all the nation’s homeless are veterans. Our veterans are heroes, she said, and we must ensure that they never reach the point of homelessness. Women veterans are the fastest growing group of homeless veterans, and we must ensure that the Veteran’s Administration evolves along with the needs of the veterans that it is serving, but HUD (Housing and Urban Development) must take steps to promote affordable housing.

Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) said we have to provide veterans with health care, mental health care, and transitional services. He quoted a different set of statistics, saying that approximately 20-33 percent of the homeless in shelters are veterans. The bottom line, he said, is that it’s critical for the success of the programs to have properly trained staff and appropriate facilities. A large percentage of veterans that are homeless served in Vietnam or Korea, and they’ve got trouble dealing with transitioning back into civilian life and dealing with guilt and forgiveness. “Our veterans are owed more than a blanket and a hot meal,” he said.

Mark Johnston, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs, HUD, said they have developed programs specifically to deal with homeless veterans. Because homeless people face many challenges, there is a need to have many separate programs to deal with each specific issue. HUD just announced a 11.75% reduction in homelessness since 2005. This is the first time we’ve ever seen a reduction in homelessness, Johnston said. HUD had partnered with the VA and others to target the chronically homeless. HUD provided permanent housing, and this have provided a permanent solutions to thousands.

Peter H. Dougherty, Director, Office of Homeless Veterans Programs, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, said their goal is to help veterans not only with benefits, but to help them find gainful employment and permanent housing. Benefits are very important, and they have expedited homeless veteran’s claims. We believe that it is important, he said, that veterans receive health care benefits which may or may not be contributing to their homelessness. There has been a significant reduction in homelessness, but funding is needed to ensure that the program continues and chronic homelessness be addressed.

Cheryl Beversdorf, President and CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, said veterans receive employment assistance, transitional housing, and counseling. Affordable housing is the number one unmet need amongst veterans, particularly those with chronic health problems. She requested Congress to provide supportive services to veterans, and help with funds made available so that there would be an increase in available housing made to low income veterans. When asked why so many veterans are homeless, she said PTSD is a significant issue, along with employment problems, health problems, and that so many things veterans have learned in the military are not transferable to civilian life.

Foreclosure concerns draw the ire of House members unhappy with lack of progress

The House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity held a hearing concerning foreclosure prevention and sound mortgage servicing.

The committee interrogated a panel of governmental housing program leaders including Laura Maggiano, Deputy Director of the Office of Single Family Asset Management at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Maggiano defended HUD’s assistance to families unable to finance their homes amid strong criticism from each congressional representative at the hearing, particularly Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA).

Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver (D-MO) told the panel that with our country experiencing “approximately 20,000 foreclosures a week” that we have“more than a casual problem”.

Maggiano’s defense emphasized that her department was trying hard to both help keep borrowers informed about the housing contracts they were agreeing to pay, and ensuring loaners that could receive the money they distribute.

Also, Judy Caden, answering questions on behalf of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), argued in her defense that not all foreclosures were the result of bad loans being distributed.