Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 861, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) Termination Act. This bill stops in its tracks the successful efforts to rebuild neighborhoods hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program has provided resources to allow cities and states to rehabilitate foreclosed and abandoned homes that are driving down home prices and destabilizing neighborhoods. In Rhode Island, we were hit early and hard by the housing crisis. We currently have the fourth highest unemployment rate, and Rhode Islanders are struggling with mortgage payments due to the loss of jobs through no fault of their own. This program has provided the state with much needed resources to stabilize our housing market and create new low-income housing. Rhode Island housing agencies have warned me that ending this program would be detrimental to their efforts to build homes, save buildings, stabilize blighted neighborhoods, and most importantly, put Rhode Islanders to work. In my district, $800,000 out of Rhode Island's NSP funds went to creating a new building that houses 12 homeless veterans, a police station, and commercial space. This funding also helped create two additional apartments for homeless veterans in a nearby building that also includes a social services office for the residents.…”