[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 146 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATIONS ON THE FIRST ANNUAL NATIONAL RAISE THE ROOF DAY

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                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 25, 1999

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, yesterday President Clinton signed the HUD-
VA appropriations bill into law providing housing assistance to many 
impoverished Americans. Unfortunately, while this bill is an 
improvement over the initial House passed spending levels, it does not 
go far enough to address the needs of homeless individuals, tenants 
living in expiring Section 8 properties or distressed public housing, 
and impoverished communities. To ensure that our government has the 
political will to invest adequately in housing assistance, we need to 
raise public consciousness about the unmet housing and community 
development needs and educate the public about the existing and proven 
programmatic and policy solutions that address these needs.
  One recent step to educate, organize, and mobilize Americans in this 
direction took place last Saturday, October 16th, when more than 10,000 
volunteers in 150 cities joined together for the first ever National 
Raise the Roof Day. Under Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
Andrew Cuomo's leadership, they spent the day repairing and building 
homes. But they were also building something much bigger--a national 
awareness of one of the most pressing problems facing our nation, the 
need for safe, decent and affordable housing.
  I would like to commend everyone who participated in this landmark 
event. In Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, actress Sarah 
Jessica Parker, home improvement expert Bob Vila, and community 
volunteers joined Secretary Cuomo to repair homes in the Columbia 
Heights community. In my home state of California, more than 1,800 
volunteers repaired or built new homes for families in fifteen cities 
and counties. Similar events took place throughout the nation--led by 
the nation's mayors, national non-profits, local community and faith 
based organizations, businesses, and impoverished Americans--themselves 
in need of affordable housing.
  Secretary Cuomo convened this Raise the Roof Day for three simple but 
important reasons. First, while we live at a time of record economic 
strength, a record number of people are facing an affordable housing or 
home ownership crisis. There are still a record 5.3 million households 
with worst case housing needs, and two million units in need of major 
repairs. Despite a record home ownership rate, home ownership for 
minorities and in cities still lags behind.
  Raise the Roof Day also showed us that there is something that we can 
do about this crisis. We are not helpless. We are not powerless, either 
as a nation, or as a community in confronting this challenge. Don't 
listen to those who say that nothing works. There are many programs 
that are making a difference. HUD's FHA is expanding home ownership 
with a record 1.3 million loans insured this year. HOPE VI grants are 
replacing the worst public housing with livable communities. Americans 
can take action to organize and mobilize for adequate investments in 
affordable housing.
  And last year, in partnership with Congress, HUD won its best budget 
in a decade. And this year we've done it again--a significant budget 
increase for HUD, that includes 60,000 new affordable housing vouchers, 
more money for the homeless, and increases in funds for Fair Housing 
and public housing.
  Finally, Raise the Roof Day celebrates the spirit of voluntarism--the 
spirit of community--that we need as a nation to tackle our toughest 
challenges. Government must provide the funds and the resources, but 
that's only part of the solution. It's when people come together to 
help their neighbors that we can really make a difference. That's how 
this country was built, and that's how we must take on this challenge 
as well.
  Mr. Speaker, Raise the Roof Day was a rousing success. Americans need 
to become more involved in these events. This is an issue where we can 
really make a difference--and a cause that truly deserves our time and 
our energy. I look forward to similar events in the future.




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