Housing                               HOME Craig Stevens     Pa Low Income Housing Coalition Testimony  Hello- my name is Craig Stevens.; I am the Western Pennsylvanian Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Low Income Housing Coalition.  We are a state-wide membership organization representing over 350 organizations representing over 350 organizations and individuals committed to ensuring that all Pennsylvanians, especially those with low incomes, obtain and maintain safe, quality, affordable and accessible housing in the community of their choice. I want to thank Congressman Mike Doyle for sponsoring this Town Meeting and the ThomasMertonCenter?s Citizens Budget Campaign for organizing this important event.  PALIHC has been an active member of the CBC for the past several years.

I do not need to tell anyone here about how important safe, quality, affordable, and accessible housing is to the health and well-being of our children, families, elderly, people with disabilities and neighborhoods.  Where there is substandard housing, vacant and abandoned properties and disinvestments on out communities there are other economic, social and personal problems and challenges that people must face and overcome.; Let me make this clear: it is not poor people who make bad housing and communities, it is poor housing that harms people and communities. The organizers of this forum know this.  You see it every day with the people you serve or assist, and the communities we live in. But the current Administration and Congressional Majority don?t get it, or they simply don't care.; They care more about tax cuts for the rich, military might and special benefits for powerful corporations and private interests. And it is low-moderate income folks- people living with incomes below the area median income of $45,000 for a family of four  who are going to be hurt the most by these federal budget and policy priorities. Federal support for affordable housing and community development will, in fact, be taking one of the biggest hits under current budget and tax plans supported by this Administration and Congress.

The President has proposed cutting five billion from this year's domestic, discretionary spending.by two billion dollars. 40% of the total cut in domestic, human needs spending  will come HUD programs that support federally subsidized housing (public housing, privately owned HUD mulitfamily/Section 8 housing and rhe section 8 voucher program) as well as the HOME, Community Development Block Grant and Rural Development programs that help revitalize communities.

To put it in human terms, this means that there will be:

-- Less quality and revitalized public housing and HUD multifamily/Section 8 homes for struggling low income families, the elderly and people with disabilities.

-- Fewer dollars to reverse urban blight and revitalize our neighborhoods

-- No new Section 8 vouchers for families trying to climb out of homelessness or to move to a neighborhood of their choice.

--Fewer homes that can be made accessible for people with disabilities who want to live independently and with dignity.

-- More elderly and people with disabilities forced to live in a group or other congregate settings with fewer services due to the loss of homes that they cannot maintain or modify.

This means that here in Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley and struggling communities and people across the country will have 40% less financial assistance or resources than they have now or maintain quality affordable housing or build stronger families and communities.

What do we support:

-- Increased commitment to neighborhood and rural housing community development programs to reverse blight and support smart growth policies.

--Increase allotment of vouchers and programs that increase the success of voucher holders in finding housing in the communities of their choice.

--Full funding for the operation and revitalization of public housing and HUD multifamily/Section 8 housing, including a reformed Hope VI program for public housing.

We are all in this together. These deep cuts in federally supported housing programs parallel to cuts in other programs needed by people and communities to thrive and grow.

We need to continue to come together like this, to build coalitions, and to push for human need over human greed.. If our elected officials do not  get what we people want and need, then they need make way for leaders who will chart a better course for our people and nation.

- Passage of a National Housing Trust Fund which will tap FHA reserves or other dedicated source of revenue to build over 1.5 million homes for extremely low income and low-moderate income families and individuals over the next ten years.