AMERICA'S MOST VULNERABLE LIST
1.8 Million Poor Seniors & Children Locked Out of Nation's Housing

ASHINGTON - Today, the House is considering an amendment to legislation (H.R. 4194) that would raise the income levels of people eligible for public housing. This bill would give greater priority to people making as much as $40,000 to be admitted to public housing, allowing them to gain housing before lower income families. Since no new public housing is being built and existing waiting lists are years long, these lower income families will have no option whatsoever. A total of 3 million low-income people would be denied access to public and federally-assisted housing, including 1.8 million seniors and children.

In response to this bill, Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo said:

"It is inexcusable that we would take the few units of affordable housing this Congress has allowed to remain and remove it from the grasp of the most vulnerable Americans. This means no housing for America's most vulnerable. In an apparent effort to "mix income" in public housing the House bill would make 1.8 million seniors and children virtually homeless. For them, the House bill would be the equivalent of a housing death sentence: no housing for life.

"The Administration's position is an intelligent balance which would allow mixed income in public housing and provide for the most vulnerable with Section 8 vouchers for every lower-income family displaced from the waiting list.

"The inclusion of this repugnant public housing bill in the HUD appropriations bill violates the good faith and cooperative efforts we have been working towards and is tantamount to legislative extortion."