Maxine Waters bill to bring back the projects goes to House floor tomorrow (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Sparkle]

H.R. 1227 provides that HUD must reopen 3000 public housing units by August 1, bans HUD from demolishing any units until they open another one in its place, among other things.

Speaking as a resident of Orleans Parish, this is possibly the worst idea I've seen from any level of government since the storm - and that's saying something.

It will almost certainly pass, given the current makeup of Congress and support for the measure by Governor Blanco, but I would ask that anyone that is interested please drop a note to your congressmen and ask them to vote NO on HR 1227, the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

thanks.

 

[gaminerie]

H.R. 1227 provides that HUD must reopen 3000 public housing units by August 1, bans HUD from demolishing any units until they open another one in its place, among other things.

Speaking as a resident of Orleans Parish, this is possibly the worst idea I've seen from any level of government since the storm - and that's saying something.

It will almost certainly pass, given the current makeup of Congress and support for the measure by Governor Blanco, but I would ask that anyone that is interested please drop a note to your congressmen and ask them to vote NO on HR 1227, the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

thanks.

Great. HUD can start on this grand plan, by opening replacement units in Maxine Waters' neighborhood.

Not the one where her office was burnt down in the Rodney King riots. i'm talking about the one where SHE parks HER car at night.

 

[SaintJ]

Speaking as a resident of Orleans Parish, this is possibly the worst idea I've seen from any level of government since the storm - and that's saying something.

Man, that's rarified air we're flying in. But she's got the tools.

 

[Derrick 63]

Done.

I'll send one to Shelby, Sessions and Davis, but don't expect much help from Davis.

Here is another good site:

http://mygov.governmentguide.com/mygov/home/

I need to look at H.R. 1227 but it doesn't sound like good policy the way you state it.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

I should add that it appears that the bill also includes other, sane legislative items, but nothing that comes close to outweighing Waters section of the bill re: the projects.

Its like seeing yourself about to get punched in the face in slow motion.

 

[SharonT]

So, what's she doing about the Healthcare/hospital situation in town? The overcrowded public schools who had kids sitting home for months because there weren't enough desks or teachers or even schools? The over-worked police force who can't find enough cops to hire? The fire dept making minimum wage in the same boat? The playgrounds and other afterschool activities that are struggling? The N.O. sewer system that needs a total overhaul? I could go on, but you all already know all this... Yep, let's add more strain to the system now. Makes total sense.

 

[Derrick 63]

Read the Bill

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html

Read an Analysis of the Bill

http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=7877&sequence=0

 

[Dave]

H.R. 1227 provides that HUD must reopen 3000 public housing units by August 1, bans HUD from demolishing any units until they open another one in its place, among other things.

Speaking as a resident of Orleans Parish, this is possibly the worst idea I've seen from any level of government since the storm - and that's saying something.

It will almost certainly pass, given the current makeup of Congress and support for the measure by Governor Blanco, but I would ask that anyone that is interested please drop a note to your congressmen and ask them to vote NO on HR 1227, the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

thanks.

Waters, Blanco and anyone who wants to let people back in the projects until other housing is available knows that if anyone moves back into the projects they will be there permanently.

 

[SharonT]

Well, half of it looks really good (attempts to accelerate the process), but the other half is bone-headed.

Here's a letter I threw together if you're not sure what to type out. That visi site Mr. Sparkle was kind enough to link to is easy enough. Thing with those is, you pretty much have to be from a place to write to that Legislator. They crosscheck zip codes and such.

Feel free to modify or whatever:

Dear Representative __________,

I just want to ask that you do not support Maxine Water's HR Bill 1227 which would re-open the condemned HUD projects in New Orleans.

The city is under too much strain right now in providing critical basic services - from Healthcare to Public Schools.

It would be great if all of the services pre-Katrina were back in place, and all of the buildings and hospitals refurbished and functioning, but that is not reality. We are not there, yet.

Sending our most vulnerable population into the situation that exists today would be cruel. It makes more sense to start building better homes now while correcting other needs, so that decent housing will be in place when the necessary services are again able to function.

Thank you for your time and service.

(your name)

 

[Jeff Miller]

Can someone explain to me why a major urban city MUST have housing projects?

I'm not saying kick people out of them are are currently in them, but New Orleans is in a very unique position.

I don't think anyone would make the case that housing projects add value to a city. And with them all currenlty empty, now is the best time to destroy them and build middle income to higher income housing that would draw people with money back to living in the city limits.

Course, that type of demographic shift might changes a particular polical party's chances of a securing a reliable voting base.

 

[Sprung]

Can someone explain to me why a major urban city MUST have housing projects?

I'm not saying kick people out of them are are currently in them, but New Orleans is in a very unique position.

I don't think anyone would make the case that housing projects add value to a city. And with them all currenlty empty, now is the best time to destroy them and build middle income to higher income housing that would draw people with money back to living in the city limits.

Course, that type of demographic shift might changes a particular polical party's chances of a securing a reliable voting base.

+1

What kills me is that people on government assistance keep saying "when are they gonna bring me back". Well find a job in NO, rent or buy housing and come on back. If not you can continue to receive GA where you are.

 

[Derrick 63]

I don't think anyone would make the case that housing projects add value to a city. And with them all currenlty empty, now is the best time to destroy them and build middle income to higher income housing that would draw people with money back to living in the city limits.

I might could, but in this case I won't.

Before I launch into that, Sharon is right. Looking over the bill, a lot of it is good law wrapped around bad which is usually how they sneak bad law onto the books.

As far as low-income housing I think any decent city provides it, especially if you consider there is working poor that needs it. My main concern is the residents in public housing have some responsibilities. In other words they are responsible for making sure their unit is clean and maintained and crime free. If you can't, then you are gone.

As far as New Orleans goes, right now they can't bear the added strain of non productive people. If one can't work, they shouldn't be let back. Period. It seems to me work on the hospitals and schools first. Public housing isn't and shouldn't be a first priority.

If you do come back and have to rely on public assistance, then you should have to work for it. At the bare minimum picking up debris.

The main problem you folks have with this is it will likely pass for A, B + D when C is bad news.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

House passes bill to protect public housing in New Orleans

<TABLE class=byln cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=428 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=bottom><TD class=byln width=328>3/21/2007, 3:18 p.m. CDT By KASIE HUNT
The Associated Press

</TD><TD width=3></TD><TD width=97></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
WASHINGTON (AP) — Public housing projects damaged by Hurricane Katrina would not be knocked down until the government has a plan to replace them under a bill the House passed Wednesday.
The legislation, approved 302-125, also would grant tenants who lived in New Orleans public housing before the storm the right to return to homes and apartments subsidized by the government.
"We need to address the affordable housing crisis in the Gulf region by returning people to their homes," said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who sponsored the bill. "Every person who desires to live in the Gulf region must be given an opportunity to rebuild and to return home."

The Housing and Urban Development Department and the city's housing authority had approved plans to demolish New Orleans' four largest public housing complexes and other smaller sites. The August 2005 storm left about 7,500 apartments in a condition not considered worth repairing. The demolitions would have made way for an estimated $681 million worth of mixed-income neighborhood construction.

"To do as HUD has proposed across all public housing in New Orleans is tantamount to forced homelessness," said Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents much of New Orleans.

...

GOP amendments to replace only those public housing units occupied before Katrina and to require recipients of rental assistance under the bill to perform 20 hours of approved "work activities" a week were rejected.
The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said the bill would not prohibit building new mixed-income developments but would maintain current buildings until new homes and apartments could be constructed.

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louis...ews-31/11745050714920.xml&storylist=louisiana

Jindal filed a motion to send it back to committee to hear an amendment that would prohibit convicted felons from living in the projects, but it was defeated.

On to the Senate... hopefully Vitter or Mary will find the requisite intestinal fortitute to kill this awful bill.

 

[Wolbrat]

"To do as HUD has proposed across all public housing in New Orleans is tantamount to forced homelessness," said Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents much of New Orleans.

I have nothing I can type which would not violate the TOS. I really don;t see how any of these people are being FORCED to depend on government assistance.

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

bayoubuzz says Jindal's motion to keep convicts out of the projects passed as an amendment.

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/News/Louis...l_New_Orleans_Public_Housing_Motion__3184.asp

If true, its good news, though I'm still hoping the Senate just kills it altogether.