| A merica
is facing an affordable housing crisis. For thousands upon
thousands of low-income families, the disabled and the elderly,
the cost of privately owned housing is simply out of reach.
According to the National Housing Conference, more than 14 million working families paid more than half of their income for housing in 2001. There is not one metropolitan area in the country where a minimum wage earner can afford to pay the rent for a two-bedroom apartment. And in areas like Boston, Washington, DC, and Long Island, a worker must earn $20 or more per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment. That means teachers, janitors, social workers, police officers and other full-time workers are struggling to afford even modest housing in cities across the nation. |
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I am deeply disappointed that in the face of these problems,
the Bush Administration is working to dismantle many federal
programs that help Americans find affordable housing. The
President's 2004 budget proposes cutting $2.45 billion from
housing programs and eliminating the HOPE VI program, which
has helped revitalize neighborhoods around the country.
These cuts come on top of an earlier Administration action
to abolish the Public Housing Drug Elimination Grant program.
In total, the Bush Administration's policies have assisted
in the loss of more than 50,000 affordable housing units
since 2000, including 25,000 for seniors and 16,000 for
families with children. I opposed these actions and will
continue to press for legislation to restore these important
federal programs and provide working families the help they
need find an affordable home. |
