Letter: Aid disabled, elderly storm victims
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On Monday, religious, political, business and nonprofit leaders from across Louisiana rallied to urge the national congressional leadership not to abandon Louisiana’s most vulnerable victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
Thousands of disabled men and women lie in oppressive heat, suffering without medical care or safe housing. Recent studies reveal many of these disabled homeless people are at imminent risk of dying — and the only thing that will prevent their ongoing misery, disease and death is 3,000 rent vouchers for housing.
It’s so simple — so simple in fact, so small by congressional standards, that it has been shuffled around for 2 1/2 years, even though these rent vouchers have full bipartisan support from Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Louisiana congressional delegation, and supportive housing is championed by the White House.
And now this week the U.S. House of Representatives is taking up a final version of the 2008 supplemental appropriations legislation. Led by U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., the Senate version of this legislation includes $76 million in rental assistance for 3,000 disabled homeless and elderly persons.
We’re thankful for Sen. Landrieu’s assistance securing this in the Senate, and thankful our governor and congressional delegation have requested Congress appropriate emergency funds for this … but we’ve heard recently that these 3,000 desperately needed housing vouchers could be negotiated out in the next few days in the House of Representatives.
We urge Congress and the White House to not negotiate with 3,000 lives of our most vulnerable citizens.
We call upon the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, including U.S. Reps. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker; James Clyburn, majority whip; Steny Hoyer, majority leader; David Obey, John Olver and their Republican counterparts, to ensure that these disabled men and women — our most vulnerable citizens — do not suffer and die, neglected and forgotten, lost again in the shuffle of political wrangling.
Valerie Keller, co-chair
Louisiana Supportive Housing Coalition
Lafayette
Thousands of disabled men and women lie in oppressive heat, suffering without medical care or safe housing. Recent studies reveal many of these disabled homeless people are at imminent risk of dying — and the only thing that will prevent their ongoing misery, disease and death is 3,000 rent vouchers for housing.
It’s so simple — so simple in fact, so small by congressional standards, that it has been shuffled around for 2 1/2 years, even though these rent vouchers have full bipartisan support from Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Louisiana congressional delegation, and supportive housing is championed by the White House.
And now this week the U.S. House of Representatives is taking up a final version of the 2008 supplemental appropriations legislation. Led by U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., the Senate version of this legislation includes $76 million in rental assistance for 3,000 disabled homeless and elderly persons.
We’re thankful for Sen. Landrieu’s assistance securing this in the Senate, and thankful our governor and congressional delegation have requested Congress appropriate emergency funds for this … but we’ve heard recently that these 3,000 desperately needed housing vouchers could be negotiated out in the next few days in the House of Representatives.
We urge Congress and the White House to not negotiate with 3,000 lives of our most vulnerable citizens.
We call upon the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, including U.S. Reps. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker; James Clyburn, majority whip; Steny Hoyer, majority leader; David Obey, John Olver and their Republican counterparts, to ensure that these disabled men and women — our most vulnerable citizens — do not suffer and die, neglected and forgotten, lost again in the shuffle of political wrangling.
Valerie Keller, co-chair
Louisiana Supportive Housing Coalition
Lafayette
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