July 1, 1999 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks E1463 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS IN REMEMBRANCE OF HIS [From the Philadelphia Inquirer, June 22, HUD and are now getting a chance to see HOLINESS KAREKIN I 1999] their work in action. DOING GOOD FOR HUD Being in the area of welfare-to-work for about a year has been eye-opening, he said. FOR A BUREAUCRACY, IT'S A STARTLING MOVE: HON. DAVID E. BONIOR Over that period, Levine has arranged for SENDING SKILLED PROFESSIONALS OUT OF more than 700 peopleÐpublic-housing man- OF MICHIGAN THEIR OFFICES WITH SWEEPING ORDERS TO agers and tenant leadersÐto get special HELP PEOPLE. THEY ARE ``COMMUNITY BUILD- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES briefings explaining the new welfare-reform ERS'' IN WHAT HUD SECRETARY ANDREW laws. Wednesday, June 30, 1999 CUOMO CALLS ``AN URBAN PEACE CORPS.'' In Washington, he had administered and (By Maida Odom) Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, today in Arme- written a program offering public-housing John Carpenter drives past rubbish-filled tenant councils $100,000 grants to develop job nia, the spiritual leader of the Armenian Apos- lots in Philadelphia, wondering if there's opportunities. ``They didn't want to spend tolic Church passed away after a serious ill- some way to get them into the hands of own- the money for fear of getting into trouble,'' ness. I was saddened to learn of the death of ers who would clean them up. Levine said. His Holiness Karekin I, the Catholicos of the Cynthia Jetter solves problems and inves- Now, as a community builder, he's helping Armenian Church. tigates complaints from advocates for the bring together public and private sources to Elected as the 131st leader of the Armenian disabledÐthe same people who last month create computer centers at public housing protested outside her employer, the U.S. Of- developments. ``A computer center is a place Church following the death of Vazgen I in fice of Housing and Urban Development in where children can go after school, where 1995, Karekin I called for a peaceful solution Washington. adults can get the literacy they need,'' he in Nagorno Karabagh. And Michael Levine, a career Washington said. Karekin I, who led the church for 4 years, bureaucrat now in Philadelphia, is getting to ``When I ran that program in Washington I spent much of his time visiting with the faithful, see some of the social programs he helped de- didn't see the money being used that way. sign. ``When you come in and meet people in You get a different perspective. You don't re- who live in many different areas of the world. alize the nuances. Prior to rising to become the Catholicos, His a situation, you realize no program in itself is going to solve the problem,'' he says. ``It's not like I learned any big new things Holiness was educated at Oxford, England, They are executives who have left their of- to shock me. But things are much clearer and he served the church in Lebanon, Iran ficesÐ``outsiders'' with connections, insiders now.'' and New York. now on the street. Before she met Jetter, Nancy Salandra, His Holiness was an important world figure. They are HUD employees, members of a project coordinator for the Pennsylvania Ac- unique group of two-year ``fellows'' called tion Coalition for Disability Rights in Hous- He was among the most prominent spiritual ing, generally found herself fighting to get leadersÐa man who was important not only to community builders. Handpicked from inside and outside HUD, these special workersÐ HUD to listen. Armenians but to people of all faiths. He was about 900 at 81 offices nationwide, and 26 in Jetter has been ``a terrific person to work a well-respected figure throughout America. PennsylvaniaÐhave an extremely broad with,'' Salandra said. ``What she says she's Not only did Karekin I serve the church in New mandate: Do good. going to do, she does. ``She has the knowledge; she has the un- Jetter was a HUD employee who left to York, but he also visited communities through- derstanding of housing; she has the under- work at the Philadelphia Housing Authority out the United States frequently. standing about HUD; and she understands and then returned. Carpenter formerly head- As millions of Armenians mourn his passing, how the system overwhelms people.'' ed a Community Development Corp. Both are In addition to meeting with groups that we will all feel a deep loss. He stood for assigned to the Philadelphia office, as is Le- peace and justice. He was known as an elo- usually come to HUD with complaints. vine. Jetter is bringing together people who work quent and passionate orator. He worked with HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo, who an- on housing for veterans and disabled and nounced the program in March of 1998, other religious leaders to strengthen the ties homeless people. She also is trying to orga- and understanding between people of different dubbed these ``fellows'' an ``urban Peace nize a tracking method to keep up with who faiths. Corps''Ðknowledgeable professionals from needs services and who's receiving them. Karekin I led a church whose history dates private industry, social services, other ``We need to track the impact of programs branches of government and elsewhere tem- back to 301 A.D., when King Trdat III pro- [and] track housing, and we can better ad- porarily added to a HUD talent pool that has dress the needs of the population.'' claimed Christianity as the state religion of Ar- been winnowed through years of budget cuts. Jetter worked for HUD for 14 years before menia. For much of the past fifteen centuries, Karen Miller, who heads HUD's mid-Atlan- taking over as head of resident services at the Armenian Church and its spiritual leaders tic region, which is based here, helped write the Philadelphia Housing Authority. She left have been the embodiment of the national as- the ``community builders'' job description. there for a research project at the Manpower pirations of the Armenian people. ``What has been expected of HUD's staff Demonstration Research Corp. in New York. was schizophrenic,'' she said. HUD bureau- Last fall, she rejoined HUD as a community As the people of Armenia move forward to- crats were the ``cops'' who guarded public wards peace and prosperity, it is important to builder. When Jetter left HUD, she thought dollars, she said, while at the same time she'd never go back. For most of her years remember those who have helped lead the they were expected to offer technical assist- with the agency, she felt it was growing far- way. The commitment of Karekin I to the faith ance to the people being monitored. ther away from the people it served. and to the Armenian people will not be forgot- ``The Secretary [Cuomo] separated the two People ``were numbers,'' she said. ``This is ten. roles,'' she said. ``The great majority [of a big step for HUD to take people in from the HUD employees] are still defenders of public outside. And the response has been over- dollars,'' involved in awarding grants, mov- f whelming. P.R. for HUD is a big part of it. ing applications through the system and We go to every meeting we can, try to be a DOING GOOD FOR HUD monitoring spending. visible as possible. After a meeting, people ``Community builders are the ones who go are almost knocking you down to get your out and work with the community and help card. HON. CHAKA FATTAH them do what they want and need to do.'' ``We used to be the ones who said `Gotcha!' In almost two decades as a Washington- Now people can talk to us before they get OF PENNSYLVANIA based bureaucrat, Levine saw himself getting into trouble.'' IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES further away from his personal career goal Carpenter, who formerly headed the New ``to go out and help communities develop.'' Kensington Community Development Corp., Wednesday, June 30, 1999 As a HUD executive he was writing pro- where he won praise for clearing and reusing Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I commend the grams and evaluating projects. Eventually, vacant lots, joined HUD last summer. In this there were few fact-finding trips into the job he's been able to pull together people he following article to my colleagues from The field to see firsthand what he was planning could not have assembled in his old job. Philadelphia Inquirer on the Department of and administering. For example, a group of American Street Housing and Urban Development's activities in About half the community builders are area residents and representatives of a com- Philadelphia. like Levine, people who had worked inside munity development corporation there were · 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. E1464 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks July 1, 1999 working together earlier this year, hoping to Ray Smoot had to work hard for his edu- sets in the United States. The Commission obtain funding to design projects for prop- cation, and he has always promoted the im- has two goals. The first is to conduct original erty acquisition and housing preservation. portance of education. He might have chosen historical research into the question of what Carpenter, according to Santiago Burgos, director of the American Street Empower- another field, but he wanted to teach. Now he happened to the assets of Holocaust victims ment Zone in North Philadelphia, was able can take pride in knowing that he has made that came into the ``possession or control'' of to help people working in the area ``think a difference in the lives of so many people, the Federal Government.