Dear Editor:
I would like to inform your readers about a bill recently approved by the House Appropriations Committee. The bill is scheduled for a vote by the House in January.
This bill would take an axe to one of the most important funding programs for the working poor that ever existed and that is the Section 8 Housing program. The president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) Sheila Crowley has said, “This threat to the voucher program is without precedent and unconscionable at a time when the need for Federal housing assistance is at a record high.”
It is a disgrace that the Bush administration and the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would even consider cutting our Section 8 vouchers, which subsidize rents for low-income residents.
It is estimated that New Jersey would lose between 620 and 2,480 vouchers, with Union City alone losing 30.
We need a few thousand more Section 8 vouchers, never mind cutting any at all.
Section 8 is the greatest program for the poor to have a decent place to live and to help them get on their feet after a difficult time. Sadly, even with the Section 8 vouchers we have, many families still have a hard time finding affordable housing. Section 8 is the answer for individuals and families who are ill or part of the working poor. It is the answer to integrating neighborhoods and encouraging those who can work to seek employment.
This approach by the Bush administration is mean-spirited and out-of-touch. It targets and shows prejudice against the poor, minorities and our urban areas. Sadly, the administration thinks housing is a luxury, not a necessity. What do they expect these people to do?
They just don’t realize that all of these issues, crime, the economy, housing, all tie in together. They all work hand in hand. You can talk tough about crime, you can talk tough on foreign policy, but the people in the United States need shelter, decent jobs and yes, compassion.
Rich, poor, black, white; we are all human. Whatever happened to lending a hand to the person next to you in time of need?
Union City will feel these cuts in the worst way. Anyone who cannot understand should spend a day with me or my staff. Among all of the issues — rising rents, loss of jobs, fires, social problems — housing is the top priority for my administration.
Anyone who wants to seek elected office, our President included, should have to spend time resolving the urban problems I mentioned. Anyone can talk about problems, but dealing with them seven days a week gives one an appreciation of the situation more than any flowing speech or smoke and mirrors game being played by this administration in Washington.
I ask our representatives in Washington to work to obtain more Section 8 vouchers for our community, not fewer, and to squash this legislation now before it gets any further. And, I ask the citizens of our city, our county and our state to write to President Bush on this issue.
Brian P. Stack
Mayor