Reply #62: It's true that

[LWolf]

you can't email his congressional office. His campaign does take snail mail, though, and you've been offered an opportunity to do that.

Having spoken to him several times in '04 about several issues, I can say that I was never brushed off. Neither were any of those around me, patiently waiting for their turn.

I hear your concern. Of course, poverty is my concern; it's a concern for all people with a conscience. It's not the concern you are talking about though. Your concern is that he isn't doing enough. I don't have that concern; I believe that his platform will do more for those in poverty than anyone else's.

I've already stated this; I'm sure you listened.

You don't want to hear from his supporters, who already think that things like universal health care, universal pre-school - college education, wpa -type programs to provide jobs at home, getting rid of nafta/cafta and stopping the outsourcing of jobs and income, spending money at home for infrastructure for people, strong support for affordable housing, a strong record on working for the homeless (see below), are the way to address both long and short-term issues of poverty. I don't know that I want to quibble over WHEN he cosponsored a bill; I hope he spends more time reading it than some of our current candidates spent reading the IWR before casting their vote.

You either want to hear from DK himself, or you don't want your "he dropped me" meme challenged. :shrug:

Again, it's up to you. PM me your letter, and I'll send it.

Personally, I like it when a candidate who says he supports a position has a record to back that up:

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Homelessness

In the last few years, homelessness has increased in Northeast Ohio. In 2002, requests for emergency shelter in Cleveland increased by 15%, just under the 19% national average, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless estimate that 26,000 individuals are homeless within each year and 4,000 individuals are homeless on any given night in the Cleveland area. The National Coalition for the Homeless puts that estimate at 2 million to 7 million people homeless within a year and 500,000 to 700,000 are homeless on any given night nationally.

Because of these trends and an increase in the number of constituents seeking help from the Congressional Office, Congressman Kucinich initiated the 10th District Homelessness Summit. Over 200 representatives of homeless service and advocacy groups, governmental agencies, elected officials, and current and formerly homeless persons in the Cleveland area, have participated in the Summit meetings, the first on February 7, 2003, with a series of follow-up meetings. The proceedings of those Summit meetings were released by Congressman Kucinich in an August 21, 2003, press conference at his Lakewood District Office. The Homelessness Summit Report highlights programs in Ohio’s 10th Congressional District that contribute toward helping homeless persons or helping persons avoid homelessness. It also points out important gaps in funding and services and makes programmatic and legislative recommendations.


Securing Funds for Homeless Programs

In the 106th Congress, Congressman Kucinich’s advocacy made federal homeless program funds more readily available to the community groups that implement those programs. Congressman Kucinich pressured Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials in private meetings, through statements on the House floor and in committee meetings to agree to give technical advice to non-profit applicants for HUD program funds. The changes HUD agreed to were passed into law after HR 409 passed the House of Representatives.

Congressman Kucinich learned of a problem when a Cleveland-based homeless program, PASS, was denied HUD funding. This Salvation Army program shelters 47 homeless men and gives them counseling and job training. HUD turned down the request after the applicant mistakenly checked the wrong box on the grant application form. The applicant had sought advice from HUD that would have prevented the problem. However, HUD denies giving advice to applicants.

Congressman Kucinich’s involvement made the critical difference. "This really means so much," said Bill Bowen, an official with the Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland." Thanks to your determined voice of reason, the HUD bureaucracy was successfully challenged to examine their rejection of this important project," wrote Tim McCormack, Jane L. Campbell and Jimmy Dimora, Cuyahoga County Commissioners, in a letter to Congressman Kucinich dated May 19, 1999.

In January 2000, HUD turned down a request for funds submitted by Mental Health Services, Inc. of Cleveland on bureaucratic grounds. Mental Health Services provides mobile services for homeless persons. Congressman Kucinich acted immediately and wrote HUD Secretary Cuomo on behalf of Mental Health Services. As a result of Kucinich's action, HUD reversed itself and awarded funding to Cuyahoga County for mobile mental health services.

"For HUD to reverse itself…is close to miraculous…You have helped to preserve one of the most important programs for the homeless in Cuyahoga County," wrote President John Urban and Executive Director Steve Friedman of Mental Health Services, in a letter faxed on March 3, 2000.


Helping the Homeless

Congressman Kucinich is an original cosponsor of the Bringing Home America Act. This legislation offers comprehensive reforms with the goal of eradicating homelessness in America.

In December 1999, Congressman Kucinich chaired a fact-finding hearing to gather information on the status of programs affecting the Cleveland-area homeless population, particularly homeless families with children and homeless veterans. Local homeless providers know the needs of homeless families with children; they see the struggles of homeless veterans. The purpose of these hearings was to listen to testimony that highlighted policies possibly in need of change. The hearing included testimony from several homeless Clevelanders, and experts from the Cleveland chapter of the Salvation Army, the United Way, and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.


Requesting Release of Census Bureau Data on Homeless the Homeless

Congressman Kucinich has followed up these efforts in the 107th Congress by seeking to have the Census 2000 data on the nation’s homeless population released to the public. For the 2000 Census local governments and homeless advocacy groups, in partnership with the Census Bureau, invested resources in counting Americans sleeping in shelters, eating at soup kitchens, and living on the streets through Service Based Enumeration and Targeted Non Shelter Outdoor Location programs.

However, the Census Bureau decided not to show the count of people living in shelters and on the streets separately. Instead, people counted on the street will be lumped in with people living in other “noninstitutional group quarters,” which are dormitories or other places in which people live that are not operated by the government.

Congressman Kucinich believes that local governments and community groups deserve to learn the results of this collection. If data is provided at the local geographic level communities will be able to determine what services are needed by residents of their community.

Local Cleveland community groups that participated in this enumeration, for example, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, held a service fair to increase the number of homeless people counted.

During consideration of the Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2002 Congressman Kucinich and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (NY) offered an amendment to ensure the Census Bureau is able to release a special report in the fall containing the Enumeration programs. Unfortunately the amendment failed 209-217.

Congressman Kucinich has also sent letters to the Acting Director of the Census requesting the release of this information. In addition, the Congressman also contacted the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Census and requested a hearing on the Census 2000 information of people living on the streets and in homeless shelters.


Columbia Park/Olmsted Township Senior Mobile Home Park

When Congressman Kucinich was contacted by several of the 2,000 residents of the Columbia Park manufactured home community in Olmsted Township about a steep rent increase, he investigated the situation. He found out that an out-of-state business partnership purchased the park as an investment and raised rents by 17-25%, amounts which seniors on fixed incomes would have a hard time meeting. Because Columbia Park is protected as a “55 and Older Community” under the federal Fair Housing Act, the Congressman sent counsel to meet with the residents and learned that the residents were not organized into a renter’s organization. Concerned that the new owners were trying to break up the community for commercial development in the near future and leaving hundreds or thousands of seniors without viable housing options, Congressman Kucinich called in the Cleveland Tenants Organization whose executive director Mike Foley met with the residents and helped them form the Columbia Park Homeowners and Tenants Organization to fight the rent increases. The Congressman helped the group develop a strategy to combat the increases, including the largest rent strike in the history of the State of Ohio and the development of a plan for the residents to purchase the property with the backing of the county if necessary. While the case is still pending, Congressman Kucinich is closely monitoring the situation and is prepared to take any action necessary to protect the seniors of Columbia Park.


Cuyahoga Affordable Housing Alliance

Congressman Kucinich closely monitors the status of affordable housing in Cleveland through his participation in the Cuyahoga Affordable Housing Alliance. The Congressman helped organize CAHA in 1997 when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began to switch from project-based subsidies which guarantee that affordable housing units will be available, to tenant-based subsidies which provide vouchers to qualified tenants but do not guarantee that the tenants will find a willing landlord to accept the voucher. CAHA meets monthly at HUD’s Cleveland office to monitor the status of various low income housing programs, the quality of housing, and the maintenance and availability of affordable units to meet the needs of low-income people in Ohio’s 10th District and the Greater Cleveland area. CAHA consists of agencies and elected officials of the federal, county, and local governments; senior organizations; low-income housing tenants and advocates; social service agencies; homeless organizations; and building owners and managers.


Affordable Housing for Cleveland

In December 1999, Congressman Kucinich also announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded two federal grants aimed at helping Cleveland area residents find affordable rental housing. The first grant, of $1.3 million, was to the PVA Circle of Homes for five year funding for a total of 75 Section 8 housing assistance vouchers under HUD’s Mainstream Program. This program enables persons with disabilities (both elderly and non-elderly) to rent affordable private housing of their choice. The second grant, of $655,000, was awarded to the Cuyahoga Housing Authority for a total of 100 Section 8 vouchers to promote family unification among eligible families so that children will not be separated from their parents because of lack of housing.

In the 107th Congress, Congressman Kucinich is a co-sponsor of H.R. 2349, the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act. This bill would place surplus funds generated by the Federal Housing Authority into a trust fund upon which states and non-profits could draw in order to build affordable housing and provide rental subsidies for low- and middle-income individuals. Today, over five million Americans are paying more than half their incomes on housing or living in substandard housing. This critical legislation would ease the housing crisis for citizens in the Cleveland area and all over our country.

More:

http://kucinich.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=1561#Securing