1.2 Million U.S. Households to Benefit from Rangel's Public Housing Tenants Respect Bill

Press Release

Congressman Charles Rangel today introduced H.R. 3564 - The Public Housing Tenants Respect Act of 2011 in effort to promote fair and affordable housing. The Act repeals burdensome requirements in the United States Housing Act of 1937 which mandate that people living in public housing perform community service and complete economic self-sufficiency programs in order to keep their housing.

"Today I am proud to introduce The Public Housing Tenants Respect Act of 2011," Rangel said. "This bill is a significant step to help unburden low- and middle-income Americans so that they can find jobs and spend time with their families. Not only will it aid struggling families, but it will help put this economy back on track."

633,177 people, or nearly 5% of the City's population, live in New York public housing and would see a benefit. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are 1.2 million households nationwide living in public housing units. The bill exempts these residents who are making rent payments on time from the mandated Economic Self-Sufficiency program for eight hours a month and community service for eight hours a month.

"I have been an advocate for public housing for over forty years," Rangel added. "We cannot close our nation's widening income gap when so many low-income Americans are at risk of losing their homes through eviction. The requirements stipulated in the United States Housing Act of 1937 are just outdated. No one in this day and age should be subjected to such burdensome obstacles merely to stay in their homes."

Rangel previously authored the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), the most successful program ever to help make housing accessible. Since its enactment in 1987, the LIHTC has helped pay for 90 percent of the affordable housing built in the U.S. over the last 10 years and provided homes for thousands of New Yorkers.

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