Hearing on Public Housing Scheduled for Wednesday July 29

The House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity will hold a hearing on a hearing on Wednesday, July 29 to explore the future of public housing.

According to a subcommittee press release, the hearing will focus on existing research on the state of the nation’s public housing stock, the ways in which federal housing policy should improve the lives and self-sufficiency of public housing residents and the impact of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOPE VI Revitalization program on neighborhoods and public housing residents.

While the witness list has yet to be compiled, Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) expressed a desire to introduce comprehensive public housing reform legislation as a priority. Waters is a strong advocate for residents of public housing and the hearing is expected to reflect that perspective. The committee members are expected to hear from researchers who will review their work on the needs of public housing residents, integrating housing with supportive services, and improving resident governance within public housing among other issues.

Voucher Reform Legislation Advances out of House Committee

The Financial Services Committee approved legislation designed to overhaul the housing voucher program popularly known as Section 8. Sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), the legislation was approved by a vote of 41- 24. Action on the bill can be found here.

The legislation provides a number of changes to the voucher program among them stronger tenant protections for tenants in the former Moving to Work program now called the Housing Innovation Program. For more information on the changes click on the web site of the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC).

House Appropriations Committee Approves Housing Bill

The House Appropriations Committee approved a FY 2010 budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) www.hud.gov. The bill includes increases in a variety of programs including the public housing operating and capital funds, the community development block grant program (CDBG) and Section 8 voucher assistance. For detailed information on the bill click here.

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