[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 11, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H20]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

  (Ms. DEAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, last week a fire in Philadelphia killed 12 
people, including 8 children. While our city mourned, just days later, 
a fire in New York killed 17, including 8 children.
  These two events have at least three things in common: a high loss of 
life, an extraordinary number of children killed, all in public housing 
overcrowded with families who cannot afford to move.
  Too many families are in this position because of our Nation's 
housing crisis. We say we need affordable housing, so let me speak 
plainly. We need more housing, affordable public and private housing, 
that families with low income can actually afford.
  In the Philadelphia area, there are tens of thousands of people on 
waiting lists that are nearly a decade closed or years long.
  We in Congress have a role to play. In the Build Back Better Act is 
$150 billion to repair and restore existing housing and to build more 
public and affordable private housing. That will be a powerful start.
  As the Senate stalls, more families are in danger. It is time this 
House, and their house, helps others find theirs.

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