11/20/2019 - Safe and Decent? Examining the Current State of Residents' Health...(EventID=110250)

Video Description

Wednesday, November 20, 2019 (2:00 PM) -- Hearing: "Safe and Decent? Examining the Current State of Residents’ Health and Safety in HUD Housing" - Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance (Committee on Financial Services) Connect with the House Financial Services Committee Get the latest news: https://financialservices.house.gov/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinancialDems/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FSCDems ___________________________ This will be a one-panel hearing with the following witnesses: • Susan Rollins, Executive Director, Housing Authority of St. Louis County • Margaret Salazar, Executive Director, Oregon Housing and Community Services Department • Deborah Thrope, Deputy Director, National Housing Law Project • Geraldine Collins, Board President, National Alliance of HUD Tenants • Shalonda Rivers, President and Resident, 22nd Avenue Apartment Tenants Association • Orlando Cabrera, Partner, Arnall Golden Gregory Overview Millions of Americans have seen their lives improved as a result of HUD’s public and assisted rental housing programs, but many residents face ongoing issues with the physical condition of their homes due to chronic underfunding, insufficient HUD oversight and enforcement, and lack of compliance with HUD requirements by some landlords participating in HUD programs. While the majority of public and assisted housing is safe for its residents, increasingly these properties are aging and require capital investments and improvements to ensure residents live in safe environments. This hearing will explore the confluence of issues contributing to deteriorating living conditions for HUD tenants, and explore potential solutions. The Connection between Health and Housing A growing body of evidence shows that health outcomes rely heavily on the conditions of homes and the neighborhoods they’re located in, especially among low-income communities. Neighborhoodlevel data from the National Center for Health Statistics show how life expectancy can vary from block to block. For example, someone living in the Beverly Hills 90210 zip code of California will live an average of 10 years longer than someone who lives in California’s Hawthorne or Inglewood neighborhoods. Studies have similarly found that the incidence of asthma, obesity, childhood lead poisoning, and deteriorating mental health among disadvantaged communities are positively correlated with aging housing stock, poor ventilation, water leaks, and other poor physical housing conditions. HUD Rental Assistance Programs Public Housing Public housing plays a critical role in addressing America’s affordable housing needs and is home to more than 2.6 million low-income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, and other individuals. Funding for public housing, however, has decreased significantly beginning in the 1980s. In 2016, funding for repairs had fallen 53 percent since 2000, while Congress had only provided sufficient funding for public housing operations only three times during the same time period. Between 2010 and 2016, after the Budget Control Act when into effect, Congress cut public housing by $1.6 billion. While Congress recently increased funding for public housing in fiscal years 2018 and 2019, overall funding for the program is still 12.5 percent lower than the FY 2010 funding level, after adjusting for inflation. As a result of this underfunding, there is an estimated $70 billion backlog in needed capital repairs to fix tenants’ homes from substandard and unsafe conditions, and more than 10,000 public housing homes are lost each year due to disrepair. Increasingly, public housing agencies (PHAs) are being pressured by HUD to “reposition” their housing stock through voluntary conversions to vouchers, demolition or disposition, or convert their units to Section 8 housing under the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD). Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance The Section 8 project-based rental assistance (PBRA) program leverages private sector resources to develop and operate rental homes that are affordable to 1.2 million low income families across the nation. Unlike the public housing capital and operating funds, which have been chronically underfunded for decades, the Section 8 programs have historically been funded at levels that meet the estimated needs each year. While most PBRA properties are in good physical condition some private owners have failed to maintain safe and decent living conditions that they are contractually obligated to provide. Due in part to understaffing and lack of uniform training and oversight across HUD field offices, HUD has also failed to consistently utilize its current enforcement authorities to ensure that every PBRA property is owned and managed to a high standard.... Hearing page: https://financialservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=404652