Rod Grams: “I rise today to thank the bill managers for accommodating me--and more importantly the elderly and disabled residents of…”

“I rise today to thank the bill managers for accommodating me--and more importantly the elderly and disabled residents of the St. Paul Public Housing Agency--by accepting an amendment I was prepared to offer which is intended to right a wrong which has been imposed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) upon elderly and disabled public housing residents in St. Paul, Minnesota, as well as nearly 50 other cities in America. As you may be aware, the Service Coordinator Program administered by HUD has succeeded where many Federal programs have failed. It has enabled some of our nation's most vulnerable citizens--the elderly and disabled--to live independently in public housing with dignity. Mr. President, most elderly and disabled public housing residents are not helpless individuals, but rather are people who simply need a little assistance doing the day to day tasks we all take for granted. However, without someone to help with these tasks, many of these people may be forced to move into more expensive assisted living or nursing facilities. The Service Coordinator Program provides basic support services to these residents to enable them to live independently. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, HUD has again proven its incompetence by bungling a recent round of funding of this popular and highly successful program.”