Statement of Senators Clinton and Schumer on the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act of 2007

Senate Bill Would Mandate HUD Replace All Low Income Housing Scheduled To Be Demolished

January 25, 2008 -- "Like so many Americans, we have followed with grave concern the devastation to Louisiana, Mississippi Alabama, and Texas in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

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Sadly, nearly two and a half years after these hurricanes ripped through the Gulf Coast, hundreds of thousands of Americans are still left wondering if they will ever have the chance to return home. Whether it is a natural disaster or a terrorist attack, all Americans have the right to expect their government is ready to respond with the help needed to rebuild their homes and their lives. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration's response to these storms has proven otherwise.

That is why we support the Gulf Coast Recovery Act of 2007. This legislation will provide the tools necessary to help those displaced by the hurricanes return home to thriving communities. Specifically, this legislation provides funding to repair public housing units, replaces housing and supportive housing vouchers, creates homeownership opportunities and provides rental assistance to families still in temporary housing.

This legislation takes critical steps forward to rebuild the Gulf Coast and we call upon our colleagues to support this effort."

More than two full years since Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, victims of the storms are still scattered throughout the country, with more than 3,000 survivors in New York alone. The Gulf Coast Recovery Act of 2007 would authorize funds to repair, rehabilitate, and replace lost or damaged affordable housing; continue temporary housing assistance to evacuees; and provide rental assistance so that families living in FEMA trailers to allow them to move into safe and decent housing. The House has already passed its own version of the bill, H.R. 1227.

Source: Senator Hillary Clinton