1:48 PM
Julio Barreto
Former Senator Edward W. Brooke III was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony on the Capital Rotunda October 28. Brooke, a strong advocate for public housing, was given the award two days after his 90th birthday.Brooke is best known as the author of a provision, called the Brooke amendment, which limited the income paid by public housing residents to no more than 30 percent of their income. Efforts to replace this provision have generated a great deal of controversy within the low-income housing advocacy community. Advocates strongly support his provision as a vital tool to keep public and assisted housing affordable to low-income families. Public housing authorities contend it reduces the incentive to work since a family’s rent is tied to the income they earn. They contend,...
