ANDREW, I AM PLEASED TO JOIN WITH MY COLLEAGUES IN WELCOMING YOU TO THE COMMITTEE AND IN CONGRATULATING YOU ON YOUR NOMINATION. WE HAVE BEEN CLOSE FRIENDS FOR A LONG TIME, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN THE YEARS AHEAD. YOU HAVE DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB AS THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, AND I KNOW THAT YOU WILL BRING THE SAME DEDICATION, CREATIVITY, AND COMPASSION TO YOUR NEW POSITION AS SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.
YOU WILL BE TAKING THE REINS FROM A TRULY REMARKABLE PUBLIC SERVANT, HENRY CISNEROS. THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE KNOW THE HERCULEAN TASK FACING SECRETARY CISNEROS BACK IN 1993. AT THAT TIME, HUD WAS STILL STRUGGLING TO RECOVER FROM YEARS OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT, AND LOW MORALE. THE TURNAROUND HAS BEEN REMARKABLE.
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF SECRETARY CISNEROS, HUD IS NOW A STRONGER PARTNER IN THE NATIONAL EFFORT TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES. WITH A SMALLER WORKFORCE, HUD IS RUNNING MORE EFFICIENTLY. INSTEAD OF BEING PART OF THE PROBLEM, HUD IS NOW FINDING SOLUTIONS.
THE CHANGES IN PUBLIC HOUSING ARE A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE CHANGES. EVERY MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE KNOWS HOW BADLY CONDITIONS HAD DETERIORATED IN SOME PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS. I HAVE BEEN THROUGH TOO MANY BUILDINGS THAT WERE COVERED WITH GRAFFITI, WHERE THE CEILINGS AND WALLS WERE FALLING APART, AND WHERE FAMILIES WERE AFRAID TO GO OUT AFTER DARK BECAUSE GANGS CONTROLLED THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SECRETARY CISNEROS SAW THIS NATIONAL DISGRACE, AND TOOK ACTION. HUD IS WELL ON ITS WAY TO TEARING DOWN 100,000 UNITS OF DECAYED AND DANGEROUS HOUSING. WORKING WITH THE RESILIENT RESIDENTS WHO WANT TO BUILD A BETTER NEIGHBORHOOD, HE HAS BROUGHT NOT ONLY BETTER LIVING CONDITIONS, BUT A SENSE OF HOPE, TO FAMILIES ACROSS THIS NATION.
IN MY HOME STATE OF CONNECTICUT, THESE EFFORTS ARE HELPING TO TRANSFORM URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS. AT THE CHARTER OAK TERRACE DEVELOPMENT IN HARTFORD, RESIDENTS WILL SOON HAVE BETTER HOUSING, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES. IN NEW HAVEN, THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE ELM HAVEN APARTMENTS WILL ALSO HELP LIFT FAMILIES OUT OF POVERTY.
OF COURSE, WE MUST DO MUCH MORE TO REBUILD OUR CITIES. TOO MANY FAMILIES ARE TRAPPED BY POVERTY AND DESPAIR. WE HAVE TO FREE THEIR TALENTS WITH BETTER EDUCATIONAL AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. WITH THE PASSAGE OF WELFARE REFORM, THIS TASK BECOMES EVEN MORE CRITICAL. WE MUST HELP PEOPLE FIND WORK. BECAUSE A GOOD-PAYING JOB -- AND THE RESPECT AND SELF-ESTEEM THAT COME WITH IT -- IS THE KEY TO A BETTER LIFE.
YOUR EXPERIENCE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WILL PLAY A CRITICAL IN HELPING TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE. AS THE HEAD OF COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, YOU HELPED STRENGTHEN HUD'S JOB CREATION TOOLS, INCLUDING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE. WITH THESE TOOLS, COMMUNITIES HAVE LEVERAGED OVER $8 BILLION FROM PRIVATE SOURCES, AND HELPED PUT THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS TO WORK.
YOUR HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROBLEM OF HOMELESSNESS WILL ALSO BE CRITICAL IN THE YEARS AHEAD. THE CONTINUUM OF CARE STRATEGY YOU IMPLEMENTED OFFERS A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO EACH PART OF THE HOMELESS PROBLEM -- FROM THE EMERGENCY SITUATION WHERE SOMEONE IS SLEEPING ON THE STREET, TO THE DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROBLEMS THAT MUST BE DEALT WITH WHEN A PERSON IS IN TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, TO THE FINAL JOB-TRAINING EFFORTS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO HELP SOMEONE BECOME A PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF SOCIETY.
THIS STRATEGY HAS HELPED THE GOVERNMENT TARGET ITS RESOURCES IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY. WE MUST STRENGTHEN THIS EFFORT. IN OUR WEALTHY SOCIETY, NO ONE SHOULD BE LEFT TO LIVE ON THE STREETS.
I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SOME EXCELLENT IDEAS ON A WHOLE RANGE OF ISSUES, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING THEM IN FURTHER DETAIL DURING THE QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD. I COMMEND PRESIDENT CLINTON ON HIS NOMINATION, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
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