[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 15, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                CORPUS CHRISTI HOUSING AUTHORITY HONORED

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                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 15, 1994

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, and colleagues, I rise to pay tribute to some 
very talented heroes in our society today, Mr. Ken Chastain and the 
Corpus Christi Housing Authority.
  The Corpus Christi Housing Authority was honored by the Community 
Action Network with the 1993 Certificate of Merit for Documentary of 
the Year at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. To give 
perspective to the quality of the competition, the Corpus Christi 
Housing Authority's documentary beat out one produced by Oliver Stone. 
Walter Cronkite presented the award on behalf of the Community Action 
Network, declaring that the Corpus Christi Housing Authority was a 
wonderful example that could be emulated by communities throughout the 
United States.
  Mr. Speaker, the Corpus Christi Housing Authority has labored 
mightily to combat crime and drugs in a section of town known as the 
Northside. That labor was the focus of Mr. Chastain's documentary. The 
documentary took the theory that negative images perpetuate negative 
stereotypes, and stood it on its head. The documentary, ``Challenge and 
Change in the Northside,'' featured the hope of the people who live 
there. It focused on the law-abiding people in the neighborhoods and 
the realities they face each day.
  One of the citizens featured in the film, Thea Hicks, described the 
allure of drugs, gangs, and associated illegal activities. She said 
that people with no resources who need money for the daily expenses of 
life are very easy prey for the money that drugs and associated 
activities can bring. Describing the temptation of the money for her 
neighbors, she said, ``They eventually turn to drugs. CP&L [Central 
Power and Light] doesn't care how they get their money.''
  In order to assist people in joining the work force, the authority 
has instituted day care services for children whose parents are faced 
with the decision of leaving their children unattended and finding work 
to pay the bills. Day care services for the unemployed erase a terrible 
anxiety that many people have with leaving their children to find work.
  The authority has also initiated karate classes for the young people 
in the area. By making these athletic opportunities available to the 
area children, the housing authority is giving these young people an 
alternative to life on the streets, or in gangs. Athletics will surely 
not turn the tide of crime, violence, or poverty in any community, but 
I am pleased that the housing authority is using all the available 
weapons in their arsenal to combat the cycle of poverty and violence.
  Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the housing authority has 
established voter registration drives and community financing for area 
programs. The voter registration drive has gauged the political 
interest of the community and helped to teach them that they are indeed 
responsible for their own destiny. By instituting community financing, 
the authority is teaching current occupants about the responsibility of 
living and working in our society--all of which reinforces the notion 
that self-determination is the essence of liberty.
  Arturo Gutierrez, the former chairman of the board of the housing 
authority, says that most of the resident programs are now sponsored by 
residents rather than sponsored by the authority. The ultimate goal, of 
course, is to promote home ownership and to make unemployed citizens 
contributing members of our society.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the efforts of the Corpus Christi Housing 
Authority as they attempt to bring fiscal and personal responsibility 
into the realm of local and Federal housing policy. I believe that 
housing authorities all over the country would be well served to 
pattern their own programs after the one in Corpus Christi.

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