[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1407]]
                            COMMENDING NAHRO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 8, 2008

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the National 
Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) and their 
partners in the non-profit, governmental, and private sectors for 
embarking on their 2008 Housing America Campaign.
  The affordable housing issues that the Housing America Campaign 
raises affect every Congressional district in this country. The 
statistics are grim: 750,000 Americans are homeless on any given night 
and 3\1/2\ million experience homelessness at some point in each year. 
I'm worried that these numbers will only increase as the foreclosure 
crisis continues.
  More than 15 million American families now pay more than half of 
their income for housing. Too many of these families also make less 
than 50 percent of their area's median income and yet still are stuck 
on waiting lists for government assistance. Where I live in Seattle 
there are thousands of families on waiting lists for Section 8.
  In Seattle the ``fair market rent'' established by HUD is over $900 a 
month for a 2-bedroom apartment. In order to be able to afford this, 
without paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent, someone in 
Seattle would have to be making $37,000 a year or about $18/hour, which 
is more than double the minimum wage in Washington State and about 
triple the current Federal minimum wage.
  I am relieved that the House has taken meaningful action to address 
the affordable housing shortage by passing legislation to create an 
Affordable Housing Fund. This critical fund will provide about $500 
million per year to finance construction, maintenance, and preservation 
of affordable housing throughout the country.
  In addition, the House has passed legislation that increases the loan 
limits for government-backed loans, helps homeowners in trouble 
refinance their home loans and to provide funding to revitalize 
neighborhoods where foreclosures have been rampant, and to modernize 
and expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
  We have more work to do in Congress and it will probably require an 
administration with a greater commitment to addressing the affordable 
housing crisis in the U.S. But we should all be grateful to NAHRO and 
their partners for sounding the alarm and raising awareness both in the 
Congress and around the country. They make our jobs much easier.
  I look forward to continuing to work with the Housing America 
Campaign as we fight for affordable housing opportunities for every 
family in this country.

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