>"ACTION ALERT!! Stop Adverse Changes to Section 8 Program"
>
>Kathy McGinley at the Association of Protection and
>Advocacy Systems (NAPAS), kathy at napas.org, shares the
>following alert:
>
>HOUSING ALERT: Congress and the Bush Administration
>Consider Major Changes to Section 8 Program that will Harm
>People with Disabilities
>
>Please share this with other advocates
>
>This week, House and Senate negotiators are considering
>major changes to the Section 8 rental voucher program as
>part of final deliberations on the FY 2005 appropriation
>for the Department of Housing and Urban Development
>(HUD). These changes could include adoption of major
>portions of the Bush Administration's "Flexible Voucher"
>plan to convert Section 8 to a capped block grant program
>and create disincentives that will prevent local housing
>agencies from targeting rental assistance to extremely low-
>income households -- especially people with disabilities who
>are on Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
>
>Despite the fact that both the House and Senate proposed
>budgets for the FY 2005 HUD-VA Appropriations bill, HR
>5041/S 2825, reject the "Flexible Voucher" plan, efforts
>are being made to revive major portions of it as Congress
>moves to finish work on the bill by the end of this week.
>
>ACTION REQUIRED
>
>Advocates are strongly encouraged to contact members of
>Congress and urge them to support provisions in the Senate
>version of the FY 2005 VA-HUD Appropriations bill that:
>
> * provide sufficient funding for FY 2005 to renew all
> current Section 8 vouchers and reject the $1.6 billion
> cut to Section 8 and
>
> * reject the Administration's "Flexible Voucher"
> proposal, including efforts to convert the program to
> capped dollar-based block grant, eliminate targeting
> requirements for extremely low-income households and
> allow for arbitrary time limits on assistance.
>
> * In particular, advocates are urged to ask their
> Senators and House member to reach out to the Chairmen
> and Ranking Members of the House and Senate VA-HUD
> Appropriations Subcommittees (Senators Bond & Mikulski
> and Representatives Walsh & Mollohan) to support the
> funding levels and protections for Section 8 in the
> Senate bill.
>
>Direct contact Information on each Senator at home and in
>DC is available at
>http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
>
>Direct contact information on each Representative is
available at http://www.house.gov