WaPo launches a series about the HOME Program

written by Catherine An

May 17, 2011

As you undoubtedly caught in this past weekend’s Washington Post, the newspaper is doing a series of articles about the HOME Program run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The series kicked off with a biting piece unveiling what the writer describes as a “dysfunctional system that delivers billions of dollars to local housing agencies with few rules, safeguards, or even a reliable way to track projects.” Affordable housing advocates and other homelessness and housing community members talked back, offering counter arguments.

• The National League of Cities underlines both the risks HUD takes in creating affordable housing and the many successes the department has had.
• The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities calls the series “off target” emphasizing both the urgent need for affordable housing and the role HUD programs play in creating them for low-income families.
• And finally, HUD comes to it’s own defense on the department blog, announcing that The HOME Program works!

The piece created a strong buzz in the housing community and will hopefully create a healthy dialogue about the imperative need for affordable housing and innovative new ways to meet that need. The Post writer herself takes a first stab at illustrating the need with her accompanying story about a mother’s route from homeless to home, the story of a young woman and her fraught efforts to acquire affordable housing. The story illuminated a point that often gets lost: affordable housing is a key to ending homelessness. Did you notice the series this week? What did you think? Share your ideas, thoughts, comments, and concerns with us here and on our social networks!