[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 93 (Friday, June 29, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1256-E1257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            TRIBUTE TO THE MOUNT HOPE HOUSING COMPANY, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 28, 2001

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Mount 
Hope Housing Company, Inc. (MHHC) as they celebrate their 15th 
anniversary today.
  The Mount Hope Housing Company, Inc. was formed in 1986 as a part of 
intense organizing efforts of residents and community groups in the 
Mount Hope neighborhood in the South Bronx. Focusing first on the 
pressing need for the availability of affordable housing, Mount Hope 
completed one of the first housing tax credit projects in the United 
States in 1986 and to date has rehabilitated over 1,400 housing units. 
As a result of this intense and

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comprehensive effort, one in six residents of the Mount Hope 
neighborhood lives in a building operated by the MHHC.
  Since its founding, the MHHC has continued to enhance its abilities 
and expand its services to the community. In 1994, the MHHC opened a 
thrift shop. One year later, the Mount Hope Primary Care Center opened. 
And in 1996, the New Bronx Employment Service was inaugurated, followed 
by the Neighborhood Housing Service/MHHC Home Maintenance Training 
Center in 1998. And now MHHC is planning to develop a community center 
that will house programs for area youth like a Boys and Girls Club, 
affordable child care and a state of the art center for computer 
training.
  Mr. Speaker, the Mount Hope Housing Company, Inc. is another fine 
example of a community organization dedicated to empowering Bronx 
residents and revitalizing the community, using a comprehensive, self-
sustaining and long-term approach. Its success reminds all of us of the 
contributions local organizations have made to improving the lives of 
citizens in their respective communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the 
Mount Hope Housing Company, Inc. and in wishing them continued success.

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