Housing Assistance Council Authorization Act Of 2007

Floor Speech

HOUSING ASSISTANCE COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - July 16, 2007)

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Mr. HODES. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1980.

Rural poverty is a particularly harsh brand of indigence. It tends to be more extreme than urban poverty, and because it develops in areas far from television cameras and daily newspapers, to most people in this country, rural poverty is faceless. But its presence and its consequences are very real, and they present formidable challenges to both our country and our conscience.

In my own home State of New Hampshire, we have largely a rural State. Our cities by some measures are hardly cities. They are large towns. And while we are known for the beauty of our mountains and our lakes and our tourist economy as well as our high tech economy, there are pockets of intransigent rural poverty throughout our State. In the far north the rate of poverty is much higher than it is in most other places in the State, and generally the poverty rate in rural areas of the country is 14.6 percent, which tops that of most urban areas.

People who are living in rural poverty face numerous challenges. Inaccessibility of housing with high rents. In New Hampshire the average price for an apartment for a family of four is now $1,000, and this is at a time when folks who are living in rural areas are facing a softer economy and gas prices which are rising, and the challenge of finding a decent place to live for people who live in rural areas is a powerful challenge. People who live in rural areas are farther from basic services. They are less likely to take advantage of them.

There is a desperate need in parts of our country, including my own State. And as the people's House, we have a moral imperative to help children and parents trapped in destitution.

H.R. 1980 and H.R. 1982, which will come to the floor later, are compassionate, responsible bills which encourage the development of low- and moderate-income housing in our most stricken areas. There is no doubt, because I have seen it with my own eyes on numerous occasions at home, that a clean, safe place to live is often the first step on the road to self-sufficiency. We are not talking about handouts. Encouraging economic development in poor areas helps creates jobs and a solid tax base, which build toward self-sustaining prosperity.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 1980 and its companion 1982 are wise, compassionate investments in our country's future. I urge my colleagues to support their passage.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important bill.

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