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HUD housing programs at risk locally and across the nation
January 26, 2013
Massive spending cuts to the nation’s federal housing programs are scheduled to go into effect on March 1, 2013, threatening thousands of low-income families in Oakland and other Bay Area cities with higher rent than they can pay. Additionally, several hundred thousand or more low-income families all across the nation could lose their vouchers.
Oakland parents question need for school police
December 12, 2011
Since the lethal shooting of 20-year-old Raheim Brown in January by an on-duty Oakland Unified School District police sergeant, some community activists and residents have questioned the role of the police on school grounds. Some parents are even calling for the dismantling of the district’s school police force.
Housing authorities prepare for Section 8 housing cuts
August 9, 2011
Local housing authorities across the nation are preparing for major cuts to HUD’s Section 8 housing voucher programs after being directed in June by HUD to come up with lists to prioritize which voucher recipients would be dumped in the event of major cuts to the subsidized housing program.
Budget cuts, pathway to homelessness
May 4, 2011
With the passing of HR 1473, which cut around $38 billion from the nation’s domestic programs, the Republicans smell blood. They want even deeper budget cuts to the programs and are scheming to make the rich even richer.
Civil rights hero Ray Dones dies
April 3, 2011
The nation has lost one of its unsung civil rights heroes: Ray Dones was the Martin Luther King of the construction industry. We lost Ray at a time when his kind of leadership is most needed. We all recognize now that the best way to fight violent crime is with a well paying job.
Conflict of interest corrupts Berkeley’s public housing privatization scheme
May 27, 2010
“They are trying to find any way possible to evict us.” “I’m under pressure to accept a Section 8 voucher, which I do not want because I will have to pay more for rent than I do currently, and I’m only getting unemployment at the moment.” “There is nothing wrong with my home. It may need to be painted, but I can live around that, and there is no reason to force me out of my home. I want to stay and raise my kids.”
Oakland Housing Authority to privatize half its public housing
October 24, 2008
If HUD grants the Oakland Housing Authority permission to dispose of 1,615 public housing units for a nominal sum or for as little as $1 per parcel, 1,554 low-income families will be displaced from Oakland’s public housing. Those families include 3,885 poor people – mostly children, young mothers, the aged, disabled and infirm.