Statement from NAHRO to the 110th Congress on Public Housing
01/04/2007
WASHINGTON -- As the 110th Congress convenes today, local housing agencies face mounting pressure to administer the nation's public housing inventory in a responsible fashion.
Years of disinvestment--the result of underfunding the 1.2 million housing units nationwide--has today resulted in layoffs of necessary staff and an overall reduction in services, which have put children, elderly and people with disabilities particularly at risk.
Since 2003, funding for the public housing program has been grossly underfunded, with a $2 billion shortfall in operating subsidy in just 2 years (FY 2006 and 2007). Presently, public housing operations receive from the federal government just 76 cents on the dollar. Capital needs for this irreplaceable inventory are growing and are estimated by HUD to be in the range of $18-20 billion. Energy costs, which have risen precipitously over the past two years, have put additional pressure on the cost of public housing operations and have forced difficult choices upon local administrators.
Additionally, well-intended asset management reforms currently under implementation by the administration provide a measure of over-regulation that promises to exacerbate the problems brought about by underfunding.
The nation's public housing inventory serves over 1 million families nationwide; thousands more are on waiting lists to enter public housing in their community. The $100 billion public housing asset, developed through 75 years of responsible investment by the federal government, is irreplaceable given current budget constraints and cannot be replaced in any reasonable effort through other federal, state or local housing programs.
The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) calls upon the 110th Congress to act responsibly in this first session to preserve this vital inventory of affordable housing and in so doing protect the over 3 million people--working adults, children, seniors and people with disabilities--who reside in it.