* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Kraft
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
The Restoration of Federal Funding to the HOPE VI Program
FOR the purpose of expressing support for the restoration of funding to the HOPE VI program, and calling upon the Honorable Members of the Maryland Delegation to the 110th Congress to secure such funding.
Body
Recitals
The fiscal year 2009 budget released by President Bush removes all funding for the Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE) VI program, a program that has been crucial to the revitalization of Baltimore City. This program was funded at $100 million in fiscal year 2008.
The proposed budget, which totals a record $3.1 trillion, would reduce overall funding to the Department of Housing and Urban Development by 12.8%.
Since its inception, HOPE VI has proven to be an important tool in decreasing the isolation of low-income families in distressed neighborhoods. In Baltimore alone, HOPE VI funds have been used for the creation of numerous mixed-income developments, including Pleasant View Gardens, the Townes at the Terraces, Heritage Crossing, Broadway Overlook, and Albemarle Square. Loss of funding could interrupt development projects already underway, such as Albemarle Square, undermining the possibility of success for these projects and weakening their neighboring communities.
These funds have also enabled the demolition of the City's most blighted public housing projects. Nationwide, there continue to be approximately 81,900 severely distressed public housing units, whose residents are in need of safe, healthy housing.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That this Body expresses support for the restoration of funding to the HOPE VI program, and calls upon the Honorable Members of the Maryland Delegation to the 110th Congress to secure such funding.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to be sent to the President of the United States, to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Honorable Members of the Maryland Delegation to the 110th Congress, the Mayor, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
dlr08-0120~intro/06Feb08
ccres/HopeVI/em
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