Protecting
Affordable Housing and Helping the Homeless
I have always believed that Vermont is one of the most
wonderful places to live and raise children. From the close communities and
vital downtowns to the rich history and beautiful environment, I cannot imagine
any other place I would want to call home. Unfortunately though, for many people
the cost buying a home or renting an apartment is growing out of reach. Young
families are struggling to afford the cost of their first home, the average wage
earner struggles to pay escalating rents, and our numbers of homeless men, women
and children are rising.
The National Low-Income Housing Coalition recently
estimated that Vermonters need to earn $13.78 per hour to afford an average two
bedroom apartment -- roughly 221 percent of the minimum wage and a wage level
that only 39 percent of Vermont workers receive. At the
current minimum wage most people would have to work an estimated 88 hours a
week to afford an average two bedroom apartment leaving precious little
room to afford the other necessities in life. Low rental vacancy rates
combined with decreasing wages and escalating costs have only made the
situation worse.
This is not a trend that is unique to Vermont.
Nationwide an estimated 65 million low income people experience some form of
housing burden ranging from high housing cost, poor quality, overcrowding
and homelessness. Nearly 5 million low income households have to spend
over 50 percent of their monthly income just to keep a roof over their
head. To me, this is unacceptable. As one of the wealthiest
countries, we can do better.
During my time in the Senate I have worked hard to
promote policies to help increase wages. I believe that it is important
to try and alleviate the root causes of poverty as well as create a safety net
for those in need. To that end I have fought to increase the minimum
wage, pushed for increased funding for secondary and higher education and
supported job training programs.
But as we fight this battle we cannot abandon the web
of federal housing programs that help ensure all families can afford basic
housing. Stable housing is critical to holding down a steady job, raising
children and fostering healthy families and communities. From promoting
private investment in affordable housing through the Low Income Housing Tax
Credit, to opposing drastic cuts to the Section 8 program, I have fought and
will continue to fight for those programs that help promote affordable housing.
Below are a few of the key issues that I believe are important in this
effort.
Committee on
Temporary Shelter (COTS) Annual Walk to raise money for the Homeless
Homelessness is not something that occurs only in
large urban areas or that is isolated to city limits; it can just as easily pervade
small towns and rural areas. Vermont, like the rest of the
nation, struggles with homelessness on a day to day basis. In 2002 there
were over 4,000 homeless people in Vermont this included 416 families
and 993 children, and unfortunately the number of homeless people in our state
has been rising dramatically. In Chittenden County the number of homeless
families served by the Committee on Temporary Shelter rose 400 percent in just
5 years.
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee I
have battled efforts to slash funding for homeless programs. Since 1987,
these programs have directed more than $26 million to fight homelessness in Vermont.
I also authored the "Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 which included a
new initiative to feed homeless children, and I was honored when in 1997 the
Committee on Temporary Shelter created the Leahy Leadership Award, an award to
recognize a public figure in the community who has gone above and beyond to
help create lasting solutions to homelessness.
But, if we are
truly going to fight homelessness we need to focus on production of new units,
an issue I have made the core of my efforts on affordable housing.
Building
the Foundation of Affordable Housing
If we are going to offer an alternative to the high cost
rental properties that currently dominate the market we need to invest in our
nations affordable housing stock. For too long we have neglected
our nations inventory of affordable apartments, allowing too many
properties to fall by the wayside. Between 1995 and 1997 the nation lost
370,000 affordable rental units -- nearly 5 percent of the housing available to
low-income families. These homes were lost to deterioration, demolition,
or simply because landlords opted out of federal programs in order to secure
more lucrative rents.
Senator Leahy at O’Dell Apartments in South
Burlington, a newly built development providing
160 affordable apartments.
CDBG
and HOME
For years I have spearheaded efforts in the Senate to
increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME
programs. Since 1983 the CDBG program has brought over $143 million in funding
to Vermont communities. This has leveraged over $3.7 billion in other public and
private investment and benefited 284,000 persons through job creation, housing
rehabilitation, day care and senior centers and access improvements. Since 1992 the
HOME program has brought more than $47 million to Vermont, built countless new units
of housing and helped rehab many more. Both the HOME and CDBG programs are highly
successful in promoting affordable housing and community development.
Most recently I joined an effort to increase the
small-state minimum for the HOME program. HOME funding has fallen
dramatically behind the increased cost of housing production since its
inception, yet the minimum level that each state receives has not been
reviewed. Per unit affordable housing production costs in Vermont
have increased by over 60 percent since the program began while the increase in
Vermonts HOME allocation has only received an 11.4 percent increase.
I am a cosponsor of S. 1851, the Small State HOME Program Equity Act of 2003
that would raise the minimum amount each state would receive from $3 million to
$5 million.
Low
Income Housing Tax Credit
As one of the most powerful tools to encourage private
investment in affordable housing I have been an advocate of the Low Income
Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC). Vermont has greatly
benefited from the LIHTC program with more than $17.4 million worth of
investments in affordable housing projects coming into the state since
1987. These investments have resulted in the construction and
rehabilitation of more than 3,400 units of affordable housing. The
Housing Credits allocated in Vermont have resulted in an estimated $412 million
in acquisition, development, and construction activity, benefiting the local
and regional economies of 62 communities statewide.
In 1995, a Republican led effort to cut this
program proved unsuccessful when I joined 41 other senators to voice strong
support for the program. I also supported the successful effort to
increase the small-state minimum so that states like Vermont,
where affordable housing funding requests far outstrip the amount of money
available, can be assured adequate funding levels. The increase was
included in the final budget bill in FY 2001 and doubled the existing available
tax credits available in Vermont for low-income housing construction and
rehabilitation.
I am a cosponsor of S. 1411, the National Affordable
Housing Trust Fund which would be the first new major investment in affordable
housing this country in over 30 years. By harnessing revenues generated
by other federal housing programs, states and non-profit organizations will be
able to leverage local funds for new housing construction in the neediest
areas.
I have also worked over the past 12 years to secure
over $12 million for targeted affordable housing initiatives in Vermont.
Non-profit affordable housing providers have used these funds to create or
rehab several hundred units of affordable housing to meet especially critical
areas of need in every corner of the state. From mixed income housing on
the Waterfront in Burlington to rehabilitation of Westgate in Brattleboro, I
have focused on the areas with the most need while trying to ensure that
families are able to find something they can afford in all corners of the
state.
Protecting the Section
8 Program
The sluggish national economy and the rising cost of
housing is a one-two punch that is keeping affordable housing out of the reach
of too many working families in Vermont. The Section 8
voucher program is a safety net for families with lower incomes and has become
the backbone of affordable housing in our country. I believe it is vital
that we remain committed to this program.
Unfortunately the last few years have proved difficult
ones for this program as time after time the Administration has proposed
drastic cuts to the budget or fundamental changes in the program that would
undermine its mission and ultimately reduce the number of people served.
I am opposed to recent attempts by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development to end the long-standing commitment to fully fund all Section 8
vouchers in use. I am also opposed to the Presidents proposal to
cut funding to the program and convert it into a block grant program. I
will fight against this proposal and for full funding in the Fiscal Year 2005
budget for Section 8.
Senator Leahy at the Burlington
Executive Director Brenda Torpy presents
Community Land Trusts 20th Anniversary Luncheon
Senator Leahy with an Appreciation Award
Transition Housing
The connection between domestic violence and housing is
overwhelming. I saw the devastating effects of domestic violence early in
my work as the State’s Attorney for Chittenden County.
Today more than 50 percent of homeless individuals are women and children
fleeing domestic violence. They are homeless because in their desperate
attempt to leave their abusers they find themselves with few, if any, funds
with which they can support themselves. Shelters offer a shortterm
solution, but are overcrowded and unable to provide the support needed.
We have a clear problem that is in dire need of a solution.
If we truly seek an end to domestic violence, then transitional housing
must be available to all those fleeing their abusers. Transitional
housing allows women to bridge the gap between leaving a domestic violence
situation and becoming fully selfsufficient. For this reason I
wrote in 2003 a law
authorizing grants for transitional housing and related services for survivors
fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault or stalkers. The program is
administered through the Department of
Justice Violence Against Women Office and authorizes $30 million each of
Fiscal Years 2004 through 2008 for the Attorney General to award grants for
short-term housing assistance, including rental or utilities payments
assistance; support services to locate and secure permanent housing; and
services such as transportation, child care and employment counseling.
Such housing provides women and children a stable, sustainable home base.
They have the opportunities to participate in educational programs, work full-time
jobs, learn new job skills, and search for adequate child care in order to gain self-sufficiency. Without such resources, many women and children
eventually return to situations where they are abused and even killed.
Casework
and Services
If you need help resolving a problem with your Section
8 voucher, would like more information on public housing programs, or have
questions regarding your rights as a tenant, one of my caseworkers may be able
to help. My office can provide assistance to Vermonters who have
questions about a variety of issues and can help resolve problems with federal
agencies. Contact my Burlington office at (802) 863-2525 or
1-800-642-3193, and my casework staff will be happy to help you in any way they
can. The links listed below may also enable you to find the information
you need.
If we are going to offer an alternative to the high cost
rental properties that currently dominate the market we need to invest in our
nations affordable housing stock. For too long we have neglected
our nations inventory of affordable apartments, allowing too many
properties to fall by the wayside. Between 1995 and 1997 the nation lost
370,000 affordable rental units -- nearly 5 percent of the housing available to
low-income families. These homes were lost to deterioration, demolition,
or simply because landlords opted out of federal programs in order to secure
more lucrative rents. 
