[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S349-S350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO STEPHEN J. NORMAN

 Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I rise today to honor and 
congratulate Mr. Stephen J. Norman on his retirement following 45 years 
of work in the community development and affordable housing industry. 
Stephen retires from Washington's King County Housing Authority, where 
he has served as executive director and been an extraordinary asset to 
our State and the greater Seattle-King County region for the last 25 
years.
  Under Stephen's leadership, KCHA has doubled the number of households 
served during his tenure and charted a path forward with an expansive 
vision of what a public housing authority can be in the 21st century. 
The authority's housing stock and tenant-based programming now house 
more than 55,000 individuals, including over 20,000 children. Stephen 
oversaw KCHA's designation as one of the first Moving to Work Housing 
Authorities in the country, a recognition that enabled KCHA to pioneer 
efforts to partner with the education, health, and workforce 
development sectors to support residents throughout King County.
  As the former assistant commissioner for Homeless Housing Development 
in New York City, Stephen has always understood the importance of 
service-enriched supportive housing. I am particularly proud of the 
work that Stephen has undertaken to expand the HUD-VASH program in King 
County, connecting housing and service systems to support our veterans 
who are suffering the indignity of living outside.
  Stephen has also been a staunch champion of broadening the geographic 
availability of affordable housing. KCHA has invested heavily in 
workforce housing, reflecting an ambitious Nation-leading effort to 
preserve existing housing in gentrifying and high-opportunity areas, 
and has pioneered mobility initiatives for families with children 
participating in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The Creating Moves 
to Opportunity Program research has served as the foundation for 
current efforts by the Federal Government to increase geographic choice 
and mobility for households with low incomes. Time and time again, 
under Stephen's leadership, KCHA's programs have paved the way for 
broader policy change at the State and Federal level.
  The host of expansive housing and services programming at KCHA 
reflects Stephen's extraordinary skills in developing cross-sector 
partnerships, even in the most difficult of circumstances. With his 
wit, inquisitiveness, and relentless drive, Stephen has earned the 
collaboration and respect of leaders across the State and Nation. He 
has served as the president of the board of directors for the Council 
of Large Public Housing Authorities and was the

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founding vice president and current chair of the board for the 
Corporation for Supportive Housing. He has done all of this while 
keeping a pulse on the national housing landscape as a tireless 
advocate for expanded Federal support for affordable housing. I know 
for certain that because of his effective advocacy and vision, today 
more people in King County and across the Nation have a place to call 
home.
  It has been a great privilege to learn from and collaborate with 
Stephen over the last two decades. And it is my honor to thank him for 
his lifetime of dedicated service to people with low incomes in King 
County, the State of Washington, and across the entire country. I wish 
him the very best during his well-earned retirement.

                          ____________________