WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, July 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While the new federal anti-foreclosure bill signed by President Obama helps homeowners affected by the current financial meltdown, the bill and its $13.6 billion housing recovery money have ignored the one-third of American households who rent, say former Mayor of New York and Congressman Ed Koch and ex-White House spokesperson Bob Weiner, former Chief of Staff of the House Aging Committee and Koch's former legislative assistant.
Koch and Weiner urge Congress to return Section 8 and public housing to a maximum 30% of income for rent, itself a compromise from the previous law under the Koch amendment in Congress that limited it to 20%. Now, say Koch and Weiner, people are being impoverished and driven to homelessness by being forced to pay as much as 40% and 50% of income as rent.
In an op-ed column in today's New York Daily News, "Renters Across America Need More Help from Congress," Koch and Weiner call renters "The Forgotten Third of America. They too have a dream of having and staying in a home."
Koch and Weiner explain, "When Congress legislated the Housing and Community Development Act in 1974, the original bill including the Koch amendment established that a family should pay no more than 15%-20% of income in federally assisted housing and that a voucher would cover the difference."
"Over the years, this successful program has been whittled away by special interest groups and misdirected priorities. Many families pay upwards of 40% and 50% of their income because they cannot find an apartment that meets the established rent cap. The New York City Housing Authority reports there are 127,825 New York families on the wait list. It shouldn't surprise us that one very immediate consequence of all this is homelessness.
"In Congress, Reps. Maxine Waters and Barney Frank are moving forward with Section 8 housing reform. Congress now must make sure that all citizens, including renters, often the poorest Americans who cannot afford decent housing, have a roof over their heads and a decent home," conclude Koch and Weiner.
Koch and Weiner authored the piece with research assistance by Zoe Pagonis and Bridget Mora.
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