[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[September 12, 2000]
[Page 1800]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Housing Vouchers
September 12, 2000

    I am pleased that today Secretary of the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development Andrew Cuomo is announcing 
a plan to increase payment levels for Section 8 housing choice vouchers. 
Raising the fair market rent level in certain difficult housing markets 
across the country will increase the pool of apartments affordable to 
low-income renters by more than 1.4 million units nationwide. This 
important initiative builds on the significant progress the Vice 
President and I have made on affordable housing--boosting homeownership 
to record levels, transforming public housing, stemming the losses of 
privately assisted housing, expanding the role of secondary markets, and 
enlarging the supply of housing vouchers for hard-pressed working 
families.
    This decision to change rent guidelines to reflect a changing market 
complements the 110,000 new housing vouchers secured through the efforts 
of my administration working with Congress in the past 2 years. These 
housing vouchers subsidize the rents of low-income Americans, enabling 
them to move closer to job opportunities--many of which are being 
created far from where these families live. The new rent rule will give 
voucher holders more choice and mobility than they have under current 
regulations.
    I urge Congress to again join us in making make more housing 
available to hard-pressed working families, including those moving from 
welfare to work, by funding my FY 2001 budget request for 120,000 new 
housing vouchers. In addition, our proposal for an innovative $50 
million Housing Voucher Success Fund would enhance the effect of this 
fair market rent increase by helping families pay for the cost of 
transportation and other housing search services they need to access a 
wider range of available units. These budget proposals would expand the 
supply of affordable housing for the 5.4 million very low-income 
families who pay more than half their incomes for housing or live in 
severely inadequate units, including a growing number of families 
working full time.
    More than 50 years ago, the Nation committed itself to the goal of a 
``decent home and a suitable living environment for every American 
family.'' Today's action brings us a step closer toward that goal.