[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15088]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   AMERICANS NEED PRAGMATIC POLICIES

  (Mr. SARBANES asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give voice to one of my 
constituents, Shalonda Fredderick, whose recent correspondence with my 
office reflects the struggle that's facing many Americans across my 
district and throughout the country.
  Shalonda writes, ``I'm sorry to disturb you. I don't know where else 
to turn. I'm 32 years old. I live with MS. I just started to receive 
SSDI of $1,251 a month. I have applied for housing assistance. As of 
August 8, my rent will be $860, plus we'll be paying $30 for water, $15 
a month for BGE, plus I'm paying $185 for school loans. That's my 
entire check.
  I've tried to find help, but all I hear is that I'm too young or not 
disabled enough. I don't think I deserve anything more than the average 
person, but I know unless I find help in six weeks when my lease ends, 
me and my dog will be homeless.''
  Mr. Speaker, we've been working with Shalonda to try to help her 
address these immediate problems, but what she needs are pragmatic 
policies to ensure that people like her never reach such a perilous 
point.

                          ____________________