Quigley and House Colleagues Send Letter to Secretary Castro Regarding the Moving to Work Program

CHICAGO – Today, Rep. Mike Quigley, joined by Reps. Luis Gutiérrez, Bobby Rush, John Yarmuth, Jan Schakowsky and Robin Kelly, sent a letter to HUD Secretary Julian Castro asking for a more open and transparent process in drafting the next Moving to Work (MTW) contract. MTW incentivizes local housing authorities to implement innovative strategies to increase housing choices for low-income families and help residents find employment opportunities that will allow them to move out of public housing. The Chicago Housing Authority and dozens of other public housing authorities currently have MTW contracts.

Many residents, public housing advocates, and outside experts have raised concerns about current MTW contracts and proposed changes. Among those issues is the more flexible use of MTW funds, which allows housing authorities to move funds meant to expand public housing options into other accounts that do not directly support housing. The Representatives want to make sure advocates and residents, who have requested a meeting to discuss and weigh in on the parameters of the next round of MTW contracts, are fully engaged in the process.

"As you undertake the assessment of MTW and prepare to draft language for possible extension of contracts, we urge HUD to take immediate action to create an open, inclusive, and transparent process," wrote the members. "We hope that can begin with an initial discussion with advocates to solicit their views and recommendations, so that their experiences and expertise can be included in the process. We also urge you to ensure that there is adequate opportunity for public comment and discussion throughout the process in order to allow input from resident and community advocates on the conditions for MTW extensions and the terms of the Agreements."

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Secretary Castro:

We are eager to work closely with you to make sure that we do everything possible to provide every American with access to safe, affordable housing. In keeping with that goal, we are writing to request that you work closely with housing advocates, public housing residents, and community members in analyzing the Moving to Work (MTW) program and framing the additional criteria for its extension.

It is our understanding that, although current MTW Agreements do not expire until 2018, the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) is engaged in discussions now about an extension of those contracts. We are aware that a number of organizations have written to you to request an open and inclusive discussion as part of that process, and we join them in that request. In order to enhance the effectiveness of MTW and to make sure that every dollar is used effectively and efficiently, it is extremely important to us that the views and experiences of our constituents be used to inform and craft these critical housing policies.

As you undertake the assessment of MTW and prepare to draft language for possible extension of contracts, we urge HUD to take immediate action to create an open, inclusive and transparent process. We hope that can begin with an initial discussion with advocates to solicit their views and recommendations, so that their experiences and expertise can be included in the process. We also urge you to ensure that there is adequate opportunity for public comment and discussion throughout the process in order to allow input from resident and community advocates on the conditions for MTW extensions and the terms of the Agreements.

We have heard from many of our constituents, raising concerns that we believe need to be addressed. Among those are:

• Measures to guarantee that funds are used for the purpose of providing affordable housing, not diverted out of housing programs and into unrestricted cash reserves or uses such as excessive executive compensation;
• Evaluations of how proposed or existing policy changes – including time limits, work requirements and rent changes – impact MTW's goal of helping families achieve economic self-sufficiency and increasing housing options;
• Enforcement of the 90% voucher utilization standard and the requirement to maintain or increase the number of "assisted families" served; and
• Additional requirements that will increase the on-the-ground effectiveness of MTW, providing increased housing choices and mobility to the maximum number of families.

Again, we strongly encourage you to implement a process that allows public housing residents, community members and housing advocates to participate fully in these discussions. Working together through an open process, we are confident that we can work together to make MTW work effectively: expanding housing options, increasing cost effectiveness, and giving families self-sufficiency.

We look forward to working closely with you and your staff to meet our nation's housing goals, and we thank you for consider our request.

Sincerely,

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley
U.S. Representative Luis Gutiérrez
U.S. Representative Bobby Rush
U.S. Representative John Yarmuth
U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky
U.S. Representative Robin Kelly

###