Many times, we as working class citizens and the less fortunate often times fail to pay close or any attention to the inner workings of Washington. This has to stop immediately.
Many critical and life changing proposals and pieces of legislation are being enacted and voted upon without opposition and input by those it will effect most, that being "US" residents of public housing.
The lawmakers and elected officials are proposing severe and radical cuts and in some cases the elimination of all federal funding for public, subsidized and assisted housing in the United States. The New York City Housing Authority "NYCHA" the largest in the country would be devastated by such swift and dramatic cuts.
At the heart of the matter is federal funding for "Operations and Capital Projects & Development", two of the hardest sheets to balance financially. Simply put, we need money to operate the buildings, services and grounds. It is critical to update, replenish and modernize the properties.
This is more difficult than ever with cuts and decreases in funding coming from all levels city, state and federal sources. The results can be felt and seen in crumbling infrastructures of developments, reductions in quality and frequency of services and the difficulty in response time by the authorities.
On November 16th, a large delegation of Resident Leaders from the New England States ascended on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to demand continued Federal Funding for Public, Subsidized and Assisted Housing. The leaders met with allies and foes presenting the facts and stories of what and how it will effect lives across the country.
Lafayette Gardens is specifically effected because federal funding is needed for rehabilitation of the roofing on more than half of our seven residential buildings. Replacement of the sewage system under three of the buildings that smells horrendous anytime the temperature rises above 70 outside.
Everyone has felt the pinch of not having enough staff on hand to complete some of the most basic tasks in and around the development including the lack of proper cleaning supplies for the few employees we do have on board.
The Resident Association recommends everyone focuses on what is happening politically in Washington and our local community as we are in for a very long, rough and rocky road ahead and it is going to require all of us to advocate and mobilize to survive.
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