HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Housing America Proclamation
HOUSING AMERICA PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, for more than 70 years it has been the policy of this nation, under the US Housing Act to promote the general
welfare of the nation by employing its funds and credit to assist the several states and their political subdivisions to remedy
the unsafe and unsanitary housing conditions and the acute shortage of decent, safe and sanitary dwellings for families of
lower income;
WHEREAS, according to the State of the Nation’s Housing report, nearly 41 million households now pay more than half of
their income for housing, with more than four out of five with incomes below $15,000 paid more than 30 percent for
housing;
WHEREAS, according to current estimates, on any given night, there are nearly 650,000 homeless nationwide and up to
3.5 million persons who experience homelessness at some point throughout the year;
WHEREAS, 1,451 people were counted in Lane County during the 2016 Homeless Point in Time Count. Annual figures
show that 12,167 individuals who sought services from local human services programs were homeless at some point during
the year in Lane County;
WHEREAS, HACSA provides 214 units of public housing in the City of Springfield, 1023 Section 8 Housing Choice
Vouchers are currently utilized in Springfield; Planned new construction projects will develop over 100 units of affordable
housing in Glenwood. HACSA is also launching great preservation efforts that will positively impact the condition of the
existing units.
WHEREAS, according to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition’s 2015 Out of Reach report, in no state can a full-
time minimum wage earner afford either a one- or two-bedroom rental unit at Fair Market Rate;
WHEREAS, according to the National Housing Conference, health care workers and many other working professionals are
priced out of homeownership in the majority of U.S. metropolitan areas nationwide;
WHEREAS, according to the Housing Assistance Council, 1.5 million (5.8 percent) of rural homes were considered
substandard in 2009;
WHEREAS public housing is home to more than 2.3 million people, 37 percent of whom are children, and faces an
estimated more than $26 billion backlog in capital repairs;
WHEREAS, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials raises public awareness of the importance
of affordable housing and community development programs and resources;
WHEREAS, the aforementioned groups have declared October Housing America Month, part of a year-long, national
campaign to inform the public and decision makers of the critical need to address the nation’s housing and community
development concerns;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Springfield, which has, over a period of many years, endeavored to
address affordable housing and community development needs and has been successful in doing so using a combination of
local, state and federal resources hereby endorses the Housing America Campaign, its goals, objectives and purposes and in
so doing recommits itself to meeting the affordable housing and community development needs of the community.
_________________________________ _____________________
Christine L. Lundberg Date
Mayor