Protestors tell lawmakers: “Have a Heart!”

Proposed housing cuts would affect

programs for urban poor

Protestors chain themselves
to Federal Building 

Have_a_Heart-1More than 100 people braved the chill and pouring rain to gather in front of San Francisco City Hall and then marched to the Federal Building on Valentine’s Day to tell federal legislators “Have a Heart and Save Our Homes.”  Causa Justa :: Just Cause took part in a nationwide mobilization to demand that Congress stop its slash-and-burn budget cuts, cuts that will have a huge impact on housing.

Coordinated by the National Alliance of HUD tenants, over 19 cities throughout the nation took to the streets February 14 to tell legislators to protect affordable housing funds.

CJJC, along with the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP); the Coalition on Homelessness; the Housing Rights Committee; and Homes not Jails, joined forces to call out federal legislators over the proposed cuts.

To drive their point home, ten people chained themselves to piping in front of the Federal Building and blocked the front doors. Surprisingly, there were no arrests.

 


President Obama’s proposed budget would reduce spending on housing programs by $1.1. billion. In the crosshairs is the Community Development Block Program where he’s calling for steep cuts of between 7.5 percent or $300 million in 2012.  Republicans want 63 percent slashed from CDBG — from $4.5 billion to $1.5 billion this year.


 

Community Development Block Grants is a 36-year-old federal program. It funds local development with an emphasis on affordable housing as well as housing subsidies and other aid to low-income communities.

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“Public Housing is a critical source of affordable housing for many low-income families and people with no income at all,” said Alma Blackwell, CJJC leader and public housing resident. “We need to stop these cuts because public housing has been a way to keep families together, to keep families off the streets and to bring stability to our communities.”

Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus warned that the “draconian” cuts proposed by both House Republicans and President Obama will hit minority communities the hardest and should be rolled back.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), the CBC chairman, told reporters on Capitol Hill that these “draconian austerity measures will directly impact and harm our communities,” adding,  “… the poorest people should not have to pay the same price as, for example, the Wall Street barons that got us in trouble.”    

Chanting: “Rain, shine, sleet or snow, these housing cuts have got to go!” many allies came out to support the San Francisco action including Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA); People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER); Building Opportunities through Self Sufficiency (BOSS); the Women’s Economic Agenda Project (WEAP); the Community Housing Partnership (CHP); the National Housing Law Project (NHLP); Local Resident Engagement Council; Food not Bombs; and the Po’poets from POOR magazine.have_a_heart-6

Said Robbie Clark, CJJC Oakland Housing Organizer:  

“We stood in the cold and rain listening to poetry, music, and testimonies from individuals and families who shared why public housing is a necessary and critical resource for families and low-income communities, especially at this time of crisis.”

“Housing is a human right…” stated Blackwell. “It’s bad enough that there aren’t any jobs, can’t we at least have a place to live?”

Dabphne Hughes told the crowd, “I’ve been on Section 8 for the last three years. I know that if I didn’t have it, things would be hard for me and my daughter.” Dabphne, a leader at CJJC, added, “They will cut anything to balance this budget, except for the things that they need to cut – like big business subsidies and monies going to banks and oil companies.”