Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Affordable Housing Preservation and Revitalization Act. I am delighted and honored to be joined in this effort by my good friend and colleague, Senator Jeff Merkley. It has been my privilege to work with Senator Merkley and his staff on an issue that is so important to our State of Oregon and to folks around the country. There has been a lot of talk about housing in the media over the past year. The topic of most of these conversations has been the foreclosure crisis and the continued fallout from the mortgage meltdown. But there is another housing story here, even though it may not get the same attention or airtime: It is the story of homelessness and the struggle to find affordable housing, and for thousands of Oregonians it's a daily reality. Like many States, Oregon is experiencing a sharp rise in homelessness. The most recent count available from Oregon, found 19,208 people homeless on a particular night. That number represented a 12 percent increase in homelessness over 2009. This same count also indicates that 31 percent of those experiencing homelessness were children and the number of homeless families with children rose 33 percent from 2009. In times like these, the Federal Government can hardly stand to lose its stock of affordable housing. Sadly, that is exactly what's happening. As long-term contracts are coming due, many landlords are leaving the business of affordable housing for the private market.…”