FEINGOLD URGES CONGRESS TO MAKE REAL INVESTMENT
IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Portion of Affordable Housing Bill Calls on Congress to Follow the
Lead of Cities Like Milwaukee and Create Housing Trust Fund
February 26, 2007
Milwaukee, WI – During a press conference in Milwaukee today,
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold pushed for passage of legislation he recently
introduced to increase access to affordable housing for low income families.
Feingold was joined at the event by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Common
Council President Willie Hines, Alderman Michael Murphy, housing advocate
Bethany Sanchez, Chair of the Resident Advisory Board Sherri Reed-Daniels
and others who support federal legislation to build on effective federal
housing programs and to target resources to the nation’s most
vulnerable families.
“Affordable housing is becoming less and less available in this
country for those who need it most and Wisconsin is no exception,”
Feingold said. “While Congress has created some effective programs
to tackle the shortage of affordable housing, it has not provided the
funding to support these programs. A real investment in safe, affordable
housing can serve as the foundation for improving the lives and communities
of hundreds of thousands of Americans.”
Feingold’s bill contains four initiatives providing safe and
affordable housing for low income families. First, Feingold’s
bill would authorize 100,000 new Section 8 vouchers to help low income
families afford rental payments. Feingold’s bill would also expand
the HOME Investments Partnerships Program to provide new funding for
affordable housing production, and for the rehabilitation and preservation
of existing affordable housing. Feingold’s bill would reauthorize
a grant program to help combat violent and drug-related crime in public
housing. Finally, Feingold’s bill would urge Congress to create
a national affordable housing trust fund, similar to the trust fund
recently created in the city of Milwaukee. The bill is fully paid for
through offsets, making funding available right away and allowing the
programs to take effect immediately.
“This issue is about more than making sure Wisconsinites have
a roof over their head,” Feingold said. “Good housing and
healthy communities lead to better jobs, better educational outcomes,
and better futures for all Americans. Local communities, states, and
the federal government must work together to ensure that all Americans
have a safe and decent place to live.”
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Fact Sheet from U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
The Affordable Housing Expansion and Public Safety Act
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has introduced the Affordable Housing Expansion
and Public Safety Act, a bill to provide housing assistance to Americans
facing the current severe shortage of affordable housing. The legislation
builds on effective federal programs and targets resources to the nation’s
most vulnerable families. The bill is fully paid for through offsets.
Feingold’s legislation contains four provisions:
Authorization of new Section 8 vouchers. This legislation authorizes
100,000 new (incremental) Section 8 vouchers, with funding authorized
at $8.4 billion over 10 years. The Section 8 Housing Voucher Choice
program provides rental subsidies to low income families to assist these
families in affording privately owned apartments. Currently, only 1
in 4 eligible families receives federal rental assistance, including
Section 8 assistance. Many cities have Section 8 waiting lists that
contain thousands of people, or are closed to new applicants.
Targeted expansion of HOME for extremely low income families. Senator
Feingold’s bill authorizes $400 million in new funding for the
HOME Investments Partnerships Program (HOME). It authorizes new funding
under the HOME Program to provide new home production, and rehabilitation
or preservation of existing housing to some of our most vulnerable families.
This funding authorized is in addition to the annual amounts that Congress
appropriates for HOME and will provide an incentive to local communities
to dedicate more resources to the most vulnerable families and children
in their communities. The funds will be distributed and administered
under current HOME guidelines.
Public and Assisted Housing Crime and Drug Elimination Program. The
bill would reauthorize the Public and Assisted Housing Crime and Drug
Elimination Program, with funding authorized at $200 million per year
for five years. It would also help make the grants more effective by
ensuring that grantees receive information about what types of activities
work best to combat crime, and providing resources for rigorous scientific
evaluation of crime fighting strategies in public housing environments.
Sense of the Senate. Contains a Sense of the Senate provision calling
for the creation of a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Such a
trust fund would provide a dedicated source of funding for the purpose
of supplying 1,500,000 additional affordable housing units over the
next ten years.
Feingold’s bill is supported by the National Low Income Housing
Coalition; the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities; Wisconsin
Partnership for Housing Development, Inc.; City of Milwaukee Housing
Authority; the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Madison; the YMCA of
Metropolitan Milwaukee Community Development Center; the Dane County
Homeless Services Consortium; the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing
Council; the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association; Wisconsin
Council of Independent Living Centers (WCILC); Public Housing Authorities
Directors Association (PHADA); and National Council on Independent Living
(NCIL).
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