Enterprise & CSH Should be Ashamed by These Statements on Ben Carson

There are a few bold statements on the new Secretary.  This is how you should respond to this unqualified HUD Secretary being named. 

Here is what the National Low Income Housing Coalition said.

Here is what the Coalition for Economic Survival in LA said.

If you want to know what not to say, I have included those below from Enterprise and the Corporation for Supportive Housing.  What could you possibly say about a person with absolutely no experience selected to lead the Housing Policy for the United States?  This is a horrible pick for a cabinet position and should be roundly condemned.  He does not know anything about affordable housing except that he lived there as a child.  He does not understand what HUD does or how critical it is to the infrastructure of the United States.  Enterprise Community Partners and the Corporation for Supportive Housing both issued tame statements about their hopes to work with the new administration.  This is why there is so much anger out in the County.  We need lobbyists who will put country before their personal industry or trade association.  These guys might as well issued a statement saying, "We depend on HUD for our very existence, please do not cut our funding!   We do great things in the past, so we need the expensive Permanent Supportive Housing programs to go on or we will be out of jobs!"

These are two agencies who will have an audience with the next HUD Secretary are "hopeful," and based on these statements we know they will praise him and say what a great job he is doing.  While the homeless guy sitting in a shelter in Cleveland will never get to meet the HUD Secretary, but we know a homeless guy would express anger that a guy who spoke against Fair Housing as social engineering and has blamed poor people for their personal failings during the campaign is nominated for this job. We depend on big organizations to represent our interests in Washington since we will never have a chance to meet with the HUD Secretary, and we need you to get a backbone and speak truth to power. 

• What happened to not being politically correct anymore? I thought that is what the Trump victory signaled?
• Why not ask how this is not political payback for Carson's support of Trump, which is contrary to what this new administration campaigned on?
• What about talking about the lead poisoned kids in deteriorating housing in Cleveland because the waiting list for a voucher is 5 years or more?  What about talking about this political appointment as a slap in the face of the family sleeping in a gymnasium because all the shelter beds are full?
• There are hundreds of thousands of people suffering because of their lack of housing, and this HUD Secretary has said this job is going to be a cinch on Fox News.  This statement alone disqualifies him from office. 
• Permanent Supportive Housing is not the silver bullet that will solve all of our problems.  We are in big trouble if Public Housing, Shelters, Vouchers and Foreclosure assistance were all cut while PSH programs were fully funded. 

I know what they will say, "We need to give him a chance" or "We are going to have to work with him so we can't blast him right out the door."   I can't tell you that these fluffy statements are not going to insulate any of us from the cuts.  Carson is not going to care who said good things or bad things when it comes to balancing the budget.  All that was promised (middle and upper income tax cuts, building a wall, deporting millions, reducing corporate taxes, more military and veterans spending) is going to leave a huge budget hole and housing is not going to be protected because you issued a nice statement in December 2016.  You have to see that neither candidate spoke about housing and so unless a real advocate for affordable housing had been selected for HUD Secretary, you have to see the trainwreck coming.  Is Carson going to stand up and demand more funding for housing in America because Enterpise harkened back to his days living in public housing in a press release? 

Some might say that these statements are sell outs.  I would just say that they are cowardly and shameful. We deserve better advocates in Washington who will tell the public what is really going on, and not trying to spin this as some positive thing.  Just because a guy was born on a farm does not qualify him for Secretary of Agriculture or those who travelled a lot as a kid should be put in charge of the FAA or Secretary of Transportation.  It does not work like that.   Disgraceful.

Ben Carson Accepts President-elect Trump’s
Nomination for HUD Secretary

President-elect Donald Trump today nominated Dr. Benjamin (Ben) Carson as the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. If confirmed, the leading retired neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate will serve as the 17th HUD secretary.

Enterprise congratulates Dr. Carson on his nomination to this important Cabinet-level position and will work with him on ensuring that all Americans have access to an affordable home in a healthy, thriving community connected to vital resources such as good schools, jobs, transit and health care.

Dr. Carson gave keynote talks at two of Enterprise’s national conferences when he was head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine, sharing his personal journey of growing up poor in Detroit. His story captures the power and promise of a stable home, strong parenting and fierce dedication. We are hopeful that these experiences will make him a powerful advocate for building the critical link between healthy communities and healthy children and families. 

For more than 30 years, Enterprise has worked in partnership with HUD and its leadership to strengthen federal affordable housing solutions. As a bipartisan organization, we have engaged HUD leaders across parties on efforts to close the nation’s growing affordable housing gaps and strengthen communities nationwide. Today more than one in four families who rent their homes – 11.4 million households in total – are “housing insecure,” spending at least half of their monthly income on housing.

Collaborating with HUD on a wide range of issues – promoting healthy, lead-free housing, advancing rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy, advocating for the Neighborhood Stabilization Act during the nation’s foreclosure crisis and many others – has shown us what a powerful force for improving lives the department can be, especially for low- and moderate-income people.

Enterprise will work tirelessly with HUD and our partners around the country to make progress on our shared mission of building diverse, dynamic communities, increasing racial, economic and social equity, and supporting the most vulnerable members of our communities.

Together with President-elect Trump, HUD Secretary Nominee Carson, incoming members of the next administration and the 115th Congress, we will strive to build an infrastructure of opportunity for low-income families across the United States.

As we all prepare to gather with family and friends during the holiday season, our thoughts remain with people and communities most in need. We are grateful for your continued support and partnership.

Best,

Terri Ludwig 
President & CEO-- Enterprise Community Partners

Here is the Corporation for Supportive Housing Statement:

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Ben Carson to be the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

We are eager to work with the Trump Administration, Dr. Carson and Congress to create more opportunities for Americans to access affordable housing, and to ensure the most vulnerable individuals and families in need of supportive housing are housed in their own homes and healthy.

Our economic future depends on finding sustainable ways to ensure everyone, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, family status or income, can access and afford safe, decent rental housing. Not only is this crucial today, but for our children and grandchildren too.

For those in need of supportive housing, their very lives depend on finding stable homes with access to the healthcare and other services that offer them the chance to move forward with independence and purpose, which benefits everyone in the community. In too many instances, our nation continues to over-rely on expensive institutional care that inadequately houses and fails to address the needs of the most vulnerable people, shortchanging them and the rest of us. Supportive housing is a proven, cost-effective alternative that empowers individuals and families to thrive within our communities.

Evidence tells us housing is a key social determinant of health for individuals and communities alike, and CSH will continue to work with policymakers at all levels to enhance and increase the integration of housing and healthcare.

CSH will be in the forefront of ensuring the new Administration and Congress have the extensive data, reports and personal stories demonstrating beyond question that supportive housing works, is cost-effective, holds down healthcare and public safety costs, revitalizes neighborhoods, and creates jobs and economic development, making a real difference in communities across this country.

By Brian Davis

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