Rep. Waters packed Inglewood High School’s auditorium for a free Community Housing Forum
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, hosted a Community Housing Forum in Inglewood on Saturday, June 22nd . With oversight responsibility of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and other federal housing agencies, she provided residents of the 43rd District, who packed the Inglewood High School Auditorium, with the opportunity to discuss and learn more information about a wide range of issues, including: homeownership, first-time home buyer programs, Section 8, the VA’s Supportive Housing (VASH) program, an update on homelessness, the impact of County Measure H, gentrification, low-income housing development, landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities, and eviction and foreclosure prevention.
Inglewood’s PATH Villas Eucalyptus; a senior community
Congresswoman Waters also discussed her landmark legislation, H.R. 1856, The Ending Homelessness Act, which is legislation that ensures that every homeless person in America has a pace to call home and will provide $13.27 billion over five years in emergency funding.
The Ending Homelessness Act of 2019 calls for $20 million for states and localities to integrate healthcare and housing initiatives; $5 billion over five years for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants including transitional housing, rapid re-housing and emergency shelters; $3.5 billion over five years for new Special Purpose Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers; $1.05 billion in mandatory annual appropriations for the National Housing Trust Fund – creating 25,000 new and affordable rental units; and, $500 million over five years for outreach funding for case management and social services.
As with any proposed legislation, congressional initiatives must pass the House of Representatives and the Senate before presentation to the president for signature.
Among an impressive list of panelists who Congresswoman Waters invited to the community forum, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts was the first to welcome everyone to the City of Inglewood. In his brief remarks, he reported the most important elements of the city’s rent stabilization measure which, while currently under review, limits rent increases to no more than five percent in a 12 month period, up to eight percent increase where capital repairs and improvements are necessary and existing rents are significantly below prevailing market averages and requires just cause evictions, i.e., failure to pay rent or gross violations of the rental agreement or legal statutes.
