[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 66 (Thursday, April 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. SHEILA CROWLEY

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I do not often recognize non-
Vermonters on the floor of the Senate, but I rise today to applaud the 
numerous and significant achievements of Dr. Sheila Crowley. Dr. 
Crowley recently retired as president and CEO of the National Low 
Income Housing Coalition, after decades of advocacy to make sure people 
with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent 
homes. It has truly been an honor to work closely with Sheila on issues 
related to affordable housing.
  I am particularly proud of our efforts to create the national housing 
trust fund, the only Federal program designed to build new affordable 
rental housing specifically for extremely low-income individuals. In 
the early 2000s, Sheila provided invaluable assistance to my office as 
we drafted the first House version of the trust fund and shepherded the 
legislation through its first votes in the House Financial Services 
Committee.
  For the next 15 years, Sheila built grassroots support across the 
country for the trust fund, to keep the pressure on Federal lawmakers. 
Despite numerous setbacks--and one serious housing market collapse--she 
tirelessly advocated for addressing the significant housing needs of 
people with limited economic resources. It is a fitting testament to 
her tenacity that just as she prepared to retire, the Federal Housing 
Finance Agency began capitalizing the trust fund for the first time. 
Later this year, States will receive the first new Federal affordable 
housing production funds in decades, and for that, Sheila Crowley 
deserves an enormous amount of credit.
  Not surprisingly, Sheila received the 2009 John W. Macy award from 
the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the Housing Leadership 
Award from the National Low Income Housing Coalition for her work on 
the National Housing Trust Fund campaign. But I am guessing the award 
Sheila will cherish most will be when, in the not-too-distant future, 
tenants move into the first trust fund financed affordable housing.
  I cannot overstate the importance of Sheila's work and her 
accomplishments. We are experiencing nothing less than an affordable 
housing crisis on the national level. In order to afford the fair 
market rent for a two-bedroom apartment, a minimum wage earner must 
work 102 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
  Throughout her tenure at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 
Sheila was not just a resolute advocate; she was also a vital resource 
on housing policy to many members of Congress. She also worked closely 
with organizations focused on homeless services, family housing, AIDS 
housing, housing for people with disabilities, senior housing, and 
services for battered women and victims of rape.
  And while her focus was national, Sheila often travelled to States to 
support local housing efforts, including in my State of Vermont. She 
was a frequent keynote speaker at Vermont conferences and a valued 
partner in developing local responses to our housing challenges. I know 
a great many Vermonters who worked closely with Sheila and hold her in 
the highest esteem.
  I wish Dr. Sheila Crowley all the best in her well-deserved 
retirement, and I am confident her affordable housing efforts will 
continue to bear fruit for decades to come.

                          ____________________