Extensions of Remarks

April 24, 1986 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 8727 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS HELPING PUBLIC HOUSING AU eventually become less dependent upon fed we were able to re-write our contract and THORITIES HELP THEMSELVES eral subsidy. provide the same level of service thereby Our tenants have telephones and are loyal saving the Authority a considerable amount users of Bell System services. In view of of money. HON. WYCHE FOWLER, JR. that the BellSouth's commitment to com We have reviewed our legal services con OF GEORGIA munity service, the Authority entered into a tract. Because of the growing demand for IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES partnership that led to the weatherization legal services and legal advice due to in Thursday, April 24, 1986 of more than 12,000 units of public housing, creased amount of suits being levied against summer employment for public housing the Housing Authority and contracts need Mr. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, as we review youth and job preparedness counseling for ing scrutiny, we went to an in-house staff the Federal commitment to housing assist youth. The Authority's summer weatheriza Counsellor, which was another means of re ance programs, I would like to share with you tion program has been funded by BellSouth, ducing costs. one local housing authority's efforts to devel over a four-year period, at a cost of $107,335. Even more importantly, we have A Scholarship Program is being devel op alternative sources of funding and greater improved tenant relations by providing job oped. Private industry and businesses are self-sufficiency. The following speech was de training and employment. asked to contribute to the fund to provide livered by Samuel A. Hider of the Atlanta Similarly, realizing that they too have a scholarships for youth living in the projects Housing Authority at a recent meeting of the commitment to their clients, the Authority who excel in academics and meet the crite Public Housing Directors Association trustees. approached Georgia Power Company with a ria for the scholarship eligibility. I believe it contains some creative, worthwhile partnership proposal. That partnership has Some of our staff have organized Track suggestions as to ways in which housing au provided more than $100,000, in labor to Teams that work with the Atlanta Track thorities can help themselves. I also believe weatherize our apartments. Club. Out of that Club have come state win The summer weatherization program ners; hopefully, we will produce Olympic that Mr. Hider's comments exemplify a re trained youth from our property sites to do sponsible, considered reaction to the prospect stars in years to come. jobs like weatherstripping of doors and win Our city passed an ordinance that all of declining Federal assistance. Therefore, I dows, caulking, installation of showerheads dwelling units in Atlanta must have smoke would like to submit the following statement and other energy conservation measures. detectors. After meeting with City Officials for the RECORD. A positive result of these programs has and our Public Safety Commissioner and WHAT ARE WE DoiNG To HELP OURSELVEs? been permanent employment for some of our young residents; while others gained discussing the limited funds the Housing <Speech delivered to PHADA Trustees, valuable experience of working on jobs, Authority had to operate on, smoke detec Dallas, TX, March 24, 1986, Samuel A. being responsible for reporting to work and tors were donated by the City and another Hider, Executive Director, Atlanta Hous developing work habits. organizations for all housing units operated ing Authority) Another program that has worked well for by the Atlanta Housing Authority. The year of 1986 brought new challenges the Atlanta Housing Authority is our Adult We are developing a Speaker's Bureau and as well as old ones to housing authorities Services Program. Many of our elderly re schedule for the Executive Director and the throughout our nation-balanced budgets, ceive medical service from doctors' and Commissioners to meet and address schools the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Bill, and nurses' groups. Each year the elderly have and other organizations to support their dwindling federal dollars. We, as housing taken extensive trips throughout the coun Housing Authority. administrators, have in the past shared our try and abroad at a minimum cost. A group Carver High School Principal Norris responsibilities when our budgets have been just returned from London and Paris for Hogans and the Atlanta Housing Authority reduced from a 100% operating level. four days and three nights which I am told To meet these new challenges, some of have formed a partnership in identifying at was most enjoyable. least fifteen young girls who have various the avenues we have traveled in Atlanta The Adult Services Program has formed were-first-to meet with our Mayor, City backgrounds and experiences and have de partnerships with Special Audiences, Inc. cided to turn stumbling blocks into stepping Council members and County Commission which commissioned artist Charlotte Riley ers to keep them informed of the plight of Whitt to produce three paintings for elderly stones and excel in their scholastic achieve public housing and the 50,000 tenants that highrise buildings. An ongoing partnership ment, remain in school and not get preg we serve. We then scheduled meetings with with Special Audiences allows seniors to nant. the community at large, civic organizations, attend various cultural functions. Partner These young ladies from a group called Chamber of Commerce, Minister's Union, ships with several health care organizations "The Cotillions". The Housing Authority United Way and business interests. Our first has enabled the Authority to provide medi uses them for ushers in various activities in thought was to keep the community in cal services to tenants. Some of these part and around the Authority. We will assist formed of the Atlanta Housing Authority's nerships include the Morehouse College them in attending social functions in and programs and objectives and the effect the School of Medicine, Metro Home Health, around Atlanta to give them as much expo Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Bill will have on Atlanta Eye Consultants and Grady Memo· sure in our society as possible, and to con the Authority's ability to render services to rial Hospital. tinue to motivate these young poeple to our tenants by keeping the projects in Another area of working with our tenants climb the ladder of success. It is our goal decent, safe and sanitary condition. is to create vacancy preparation teams with that they serve as role models who moved Public housing agencies can re-evaluate tenants by providing paint, brushes and roll and re-vamp goals and objectives for less from the public housing life style to becom ers, and cleaning equipment, training them ing self-supporting members of our society. spending. The federal government can and on preparing vacant units where only mini will reduce subsidy to our programs. But Running the Housing Authority is the re mum preparation is needed before re-occu sponsibility of all citizens of a City and these actions alone will not lead to balanc pancy can take place. It increases the ing the nation's deficit. In light of this, we income of those tenants as well as provides Town. We provide shelter for those who can are suggesting ways in which housing au training for them and helps the Housing least afford to buy a home of their own. Our thorities can help themselves. Authority to reduce vacancies at a reasona projects are old and need major renovation, After meeting with the various groups I ble cost. gas lines, and new heating systems. Without have mentioned, here are some of the Other ways of reducing expenses have federal dollars these improvements seem to things we have undertaken in Atlanta. We been to review our telephone system. A be impossible. With the cooperation of our have called upon private industries and Housing Authority of our size has a very citizens, Housing Authorities can take their businesses to form Public/Private Partner elaborate telephone system. After reviewing share of budget cuts and still run a well ships. The primary focus of the Partnership a number of newly developed telephone sys managed Authority that will provide decent, Campaign was to develop local resources to tems, as well as Southern Bell and AT&T, safe and sanitary living. e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 71-059 Q-87 -44 (Pt. 6) 8728 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS April24, 1986 A POETIC TRIBUTE TO THE tion and the Democratic Party executive, and it. For some reason, Reagan begins to talk ''CHALLENGER'' ASTRONAUTS central committees. about coming down on Pinochet. From that, Banal retired from the Consolidated Coal we get State Department and Shultz state ments. Then the government panics, frets HON. DOUG BEREUTER Co.'s Piney Fork highwall mine as superin for a while-with the usual diplomatic com OF NEBRASKA tendent in 1973, having advanced in the in ments-and waits to see what will happen. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES dustry after beginning as a coal driller at the From the United States-nothing, so they Dun Glen mine in 1936. While employed by begin to relax. They realize it is all rubbish. Thursday, Apri.l 24, 1986 Consolidated Coal Co., as a mine foreman, he I don't believe the U.S. will do anything. Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, the tragic contributed to the openings of the Franklin, Last week things seemed shaky and loss of the Challenger crew will never fade Friendship, Georgetown No.

Load more