Housing in Hope On the Ground in Rhode Island

Transcription

1 With us......and without us. Housing in Hope On the Ground in Rhode Island

2 PHARI Guided by History The aged of this Nation deserve to spend their retirement years with proper recognition and respect for the contributions they have made to the American economy With good physical and mental health our senior citizens can derive meaning and joy from their golden years. ~John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy Since John F. Kennedy dedicated resources and attention to the needs of our seniors, and as he put RI Congressman, Aime J. Forand at the helm of that effort to provide mission, vision and direction for the aging in our nation, housing costs and availability of safe affordable housing remain a front and center issue. Safe, affordable decent housing for all Americans, is served in large part to the work done by public housing agencies. In RI the 25 public housing agencies that do the lion s share of that work are members of the Public Housing Association of RI (PHARI). PHARI remains a leader in advocacy and resources for RI s PHA s. This report represents the work being done on the ground and clearly demonstrates the real impact and reality of the deep cuts being dealt to public housing and HCV Section 8 programs. Aime J. Forand Rhode Island Congressman We are more than bricks and mortar. said Jim Reed, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director and President of PHARI. We are about the people we serve and the services we provide to the residents of our cities and towns. Those cities and towns ultimately benefit from healthy housing authorities. This report is an overview of the work being done on the ground by our talented and passionate public servants who touch the lives of over 32,000 Rhode Islanders in public housing, each and every day. PHARI conducted a survey of it s 25 member housing authorities and the input from that survey is prevalent throughout this report

3 The Need for Public Housing In RI a person has to make $17.78 per hour to afford fair market rent, which equals 2.4 full time jobs at minimum wage. PHARI SURVEY: Have you considered staff reductions? A 2012 report entitled, Out of Reach released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The report provides comparisons of wages and rents throughout the nation. YES NO More than 70 years ago, this nation committed itself to providing a decent home and suitable living environment for all Americans. To date, this promise has not been fully realized. Now more than ever, as the need is increasing, demonstrated by the Out of Reach study together with income disparity, which is at levels not seen since the great depression, unemployment and suppressed lending, these all combine to make the availability of safe decent housing impossible for more and more families. Public Housing in America has always served these vulnerable citizens. With renewed energy and enlightened congressional leadership, we are committed to reestablishing this objective as a priority for our state of Rhode Island. The FY 2011 appropriations bill cut Section 8 administrative fee funding by 8.4 percent compared to FY 2010 levels. HUD estimates that this reduction will result in an 83 percent pro-ration in calendar Having to consider staff reductions is never a harbinger of good things said Mike Lyckland, Executive Director of Warwick Housing Authority. Personnel cuts usually translate to program cuts and that will impact the people that we serve. year 2011, the lowest pro-ration in the program s history. A recent NAHRO survey found that this severe reduction has caused PHAs across the country to lay off staff or not fill vacated positions, furlough staff or reduce work hours, increase staff workloads, and reduce valuable services for voucher recipients and participating property owners. "A housing choice voucher is more than a slip of paper" stated David M. arusso, Executive Director of Johnston Housing Authority. "It is a commitment to participants, a municipality, and a landlord. It is the start of a business relationship that takes money, personnel and time to manage. In order that our HCV clients get the safe decent and affordable housing we promise, it is through the work of the staff. Continuing funding cuts now will negatively impact every person in that business relationship." The PHARI Survey revealed that many of Rhode Island s Housing Authorities have been forced to consider staff reductions.

4 Rebuilding the Commitment Together Newport Heights of Newport Housing Authority We must continue Public Housing s forward progress A major renovation underway at Benjamin Church Manor in Bristol. We can not afford to go back Most public housing units were built more than 30 years ago, a period which is often considered the useful life of residential units absent major renovation. In Rhode Island many of PHARI S member authorities have accomplished significant maintenance and renovations in order keep pace with energy improvements, fire code mandates and ADA requirements. We must all better understand the importance of capital funds to a housing authority. Said Candace Pansa, Executive Director of the Bristol Housing Authority. The deep cuts to these funds will impact the longevity of our buildings. As every home owner knows, when you put off a simple repair it worsens, and almost always costs much more to address in the long run. In Bristol we have put our money to increase energy efficiency and make our apartments healthier and safer for our residents, this is a process that never stops. In Rhode Island, healthy Housing Authorities and solid funding support for projects have proved to transform unsafe and ugly projects into clean and vibrant homes for citizens. By increasing curb appeal and stamping out negative stigmas, public housing has become vital to every city and town in RI. We simply can t go back! said Jim Reed President of PHARI. The strides that have been made in RI s public housing communities must never fall victim to spending cuts. Our funding is being cut at an alarming rate. stated Julie Leddy, Executive Director of the Coventry Housing Authority. These cuts will impact projects, people, and municipalities in a negative way. The time has come to find a new and innovative method to rebuild our commitment to public housing

5 Because of Public Housing... As individuals, organizations, and a nation, we must do more and do better to help those least able to help themselves. Safe, decent and affordable housing is pivotal in our society beyond providing basic shelter, it positively impacts the economy and improves the quality of our environment....she is a Nurse Now At our Housing Authority, we actively participate in providing education, job training and job development with community partners. Recently, a single mother in her 50s was encouraged and supported to get nursing skills and her certification. After two years of commitment she received her certification and is now employed at the hospital as a nurse. She attended a recent Housing Authority Board meeting to thank the Authority for believing in her...a Family Aspires to College A family housing tenant of Lincoln Housing Authority received housing assistance for several years. During that time she earned her physical therapist degree while raising her children. She has now moved out and is on her own earning a good salary. Her daughter now attends Bryant University....A Young Woman Survives and Thrives Meet Casey, she was just 17 when her mother passed away. With East Greenwich Housing Authority support, she petitioned for guardianship of her 13 year old brother. Less than a year later, she finished high school and enrolled in our FSS program. She enrolled full time at a local college while working as a waitress. By the time she was 22, she was working as a registered nurse and still providing a home for her younger brother. When her income exceeded $35,000 a year, she left public housing. She and her new husband, along with her younger brother, are now living in the home she was able to purchase....a Garden Grows in Pawtucket Rafael Ramon, a Pawtucket Housing Authority resident, is a New Urban Farmer. Rafael has grown his own food for many years and is now bringing his experiences to Galego Court Farm; from planting to building Rafael does it all. Rafael is the Farm Leader at the Garden of Life at Galego Court of the PHA. He eagerly shares his passion for the earth with the youngsters of Galego Court and together they build, tend, and grow skills and more importantly HOPE

6 Help us help them.questions from the ground In our PHARI Survey we asked our Rhode Island Housing Authorities; If they could ask President Obama or Secretary Donovan a question what would it be? Here are some of those questions from the folks on the ground: Is the United States of America doing long-term planning for the shelter of our most vulnerable populations? It seems the federal plan is to eliminate the public housing program by cutting funds and through attrition. Is this sustainable or should we be converting to a voucher system? Do you expect housing authority's to perform at their best abilities and provide for the public trust and interest with these and future draconian cuts? How do you expect housing authority's to do their jobs when we are consistently not given important budget numbers until we are 6-8 months into the year? We don't have time to respond to or recover from funding increases or decreases, which in turn affects how we are funded in future years. Why do you keep cutting the HUD budget when each year there is a greater need to help people? What is the future of the HCV program? How do we run our public housing, especially maintaining 50 year old buildings with no subsidy? What are you prepared to do next year when operating reserves are at a dangerous level? How quickly will HUD be able to send emergency funds in the event of an emergency or critical cash circumstance? Together we can find the answers! - 5 -

7 What a home means to me. National Poster Contest Winner, Heaven, Age 11 Pawtucket Housing Authority, Pawtucket, RI Perhaps 11 year old, Heaven, from Pawtucket, Rhode Island captured the sentiments, passion and reason for why each member of our Public Housing Authorities get up and go to work each day. What we do in public housing is more than buildings, it is rather about building; building confidence, building families, building intellect, building skills, building earning capacity, it is about the impact our safe and affordable homes have on real people. We stand ready to assist the baby boomers, our Veterans, the greatest generation, our fragile disabled, working parents and our future generations. How important of a role do we all play in shaping Housing America? We are on the threshold of our biggest challenges. We are... THE PUBLIC HOUSING ASSOCIATION OF RHODE ISLAND ~Jim Reed, President of PHARI - 6 -

8 Rhode Island Housing Authorities Rhode Island Housing Bristol Housing Authority Burrillville Housing Authority Central Falls Housing Authority Coventry Housing Authority Cranston Housing Authority Cumberland Housing Authority East Greenwich Housing Authority East Providence Housing Authority Johnston Housing Authority Lincoln Housing Authority Narragansett Housing Authority Newport Housing Authority North Providence Housing Authority Pawtucket Housing Authority Portsmouth Housing Authority Providence Housing Authority Smithfield Housing Authority South Kingstown Housing Authority Tiverton Housing Authority Warren Housing Authority Warwick Housing Authority West Warwick Housing Authority Westerly Housing Authority Woonsocket Housing Authority This report was compiled with information from NAHRO, Housing America and the Out of Reach study.