Bruce F. Vento: “I think unfortunately what has happened is that low-income persons have ended up concentrated in the public or assisted…”

“I think unfortunately what has happened is that low-income persons have ended up concentrated in the public or assisted housing programs. Frankly, as I said yesterday, the housing with most problems in my district is not the public and assisted housing, but it is the private multifamily dwellings which are overcrowded and which have such severe problems. So it is quite the converse. As I was saying, there are good housing authorities and there are some that are not so good. We hope that by virtue of this bill, the gentleman, with his insights, will in fact accomplish a miracle and make those not so good housing authorities much improved. The fact is that some are going to improve and some may not. One way they may solve their problem is by just creaming. If we do not have income targeting, housing authorities will take those clients that are most likely to be successful and that have higher incomes. That then leaves others who do not get the housing assistance with the nonprofits, with the Government, and on the street in some cases. Unfortunately, when we think about it, in 1975 we had very little homelessness. Today we have a significant amount. Things have changed.”