[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 31, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1478-E1479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND 
             INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 27, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2620) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and 
     Housing and Urban Development and for sundry independent 
     agencies, boards, commissions, corporations, and offices for 
     the fiscal year ending September 30, 2002, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I submit for following for the 
Record in support of the amendment offered by the gentlewoman of Ohio 
(Ms. Kaptur).

                                             Cuyahoga Metropolitan


                                            Housing Authority,

                                     Cleveland, OH, July 30, 2001.

        RE: Public Housing Drug Elimination Grant (PHDEP) Update

     Hon. Stephanie Tubbs Jones,
     House of Representatives, Longworth House Office Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Congresswoman Tubbs Jones: I am writing to follow-up 
     on our conversation last week about the Public Housing Drug 
     Elimination Program (PHDEP), and to update you on CMHA's 
     implementation of PHDEP grants since 1996. The following 
     table will provide you with a year-by-year breakdown of the 
     amounts we received, expended and the time frame for the 
     grants.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Expanded as
  Year   Grant amount   of 6/30/01   % Spent   Grant date     End date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
  2001      2,707,766  ............  .......  ............  ............
  2000      2,550,794       168,575      6.6    11/14/2000    11/13/2002
  1999      2,447,497     1,553,460     63.5     1/24/2000     1/23/2002
  1998      2,756,000     2,745,236     99.6    12/22/1998    12/21/2000
  1997      2,777,840     2,777,840      100    12/19/1997    12/20/1999
  1996      2,832,250     2,832,250      100    11/19/1996  \*\5/19/1999
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\Not yet awarded by HUD.
\*\Included six-month extension.

       By contrast, HUD allows housing authorities two years to 
     expend PHDEP funds from the date the grant agreement is 
     signed by HUD. With only two exceptions CMHA has expended all 
     PHDEP grant funds during the contract period. Once we 
     received a six-month extension from HUD to fully expend the 
     1996 PHDEP grant, and once CMHA returned $10,764 (0.4%) of 
     unexpended funds from the 1998 PHDEP grant. Presently, we are 
     on schedule to fully expend the 1999 and 200 PHDEP grants, 
     and HUD has not yet executed a grant agreement for the 2001 
     PHDEP funds. As you can see from this matrix, CMHA has not 
     allowed funds to go unused, and is, as well as has been in 
     compliance with HUD requirements.
       As we have previously discussed, PHDEP funding is essential 
     to CMHA safety efforts and social service programming, and as 
     a reminder, the loss of $2.7 million in PHDEP funding could 
     eliminate CMHA support of the following programs:
        CMHA Police Activities League (PAL), which 
     provides after school athletic programs for more than 700 
     youth from ages 5-18 annually.
        Boys and Girls Clubs located at four CMHA estates, 
     which provide safe havens for almost 500 children annually to 
     find fun and recreation.
        Several self-sufficiency programs, which have 
     provided employment opportunities for 100 adults annually 
     through job readiness, job training and entrepreneurial 
     programs.
       Adult Outpatient Substance Abuse programs, which have 
     provided services to over 600 residents annually.
       Teen Outpatients Prevention/Treatment programs, which serve 
     more than 900 youth annually.
       CMHA Police Department's Community Policing and Narcotics/
     Gangs Units, which employ 24 Police Officers, who are 
     instrumental to CMHA's overall crime prevention efforts.
       We have heard that the House mark-up of the FY 2002 
     Appropriations Bill would eliminate the PHDEP program, and 
     increase the Operating Fund by $114 million to $3.505 billion 
     to help make up the difference. Given that public housing 
     industry estimates indicate that at least $3.5 billion is 
     needed to

[[Page E1479]]

     fully fund the Operating Fund, especially with increasing 
     energy costs, this proposed budget still virtually eliminates 
     $310 million of PHDEP funding available to housing 
     authorities.
       Thank you for understanding how the loss of PHDEP funds 
     would severely affect CMHA and our 15,000 public housing 
     residents. We truly appreciate your continuing efforts to 
     preserve this important funding source, and I hope the 
     information provided in this letter answers any questions you 
     or other members of Congress have expressed. Please call me 
     at 216-348-5911 if you have any questions or require 
     additional information.
           Sincerely,

                                         Terri Hamilton Brown,

                                               Executive Director.