On May 26, housing advocates held a short and sweet rally outside of the Housing and Urban Development office in downtown Portland. They were protesting changes being made in the national Section 8 low income housing voucher program.

On April 22, the national HUD secretary, Alphonso Jackson, released a memorandum that instated a “block grant” on Section 8 funds, which retroactively changed the way funds were released to local Housing Authorities. The notice capped funding at the levels reported in August 2003. This resulted in many local programs finding themselves suddenly short of funds, as their costs had increased since 2003.

Although Jackson released an additional $150 million in reserve funding on May 20, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials believes that at least another $170 million would be necessary to cover the budget shortfall. Moreover, proposed cuts to the 2005 budget could result in 250,000 families being booted from the Section 8 program in the next year, according to the Center on Budget and Public Policy Priorities. Here in Oregon, 3,837 families would lose their housing vouchers.

Protests took place around the country on May 26, which a coalition of housing advocacy groups have named National Housing Justice Memorial Day. About 70 people gathered outside the Portland HUD office while Steve Weiss, of the Community Alliance of Tenants, went upstairs to meet with local HUD representatives. He was asking that the Portland HUD office fax a memorandum to the national HUD secretary Alphonso Jackson to demand that he rescind the April 22 memorandum, establish a grassroots consultant group of housing advocates who would review any proposed changes in housing policy, get impact statements from all Housing Authorities on any proposed changes, and cease all future attempts to cut or block Section 8 funding.

As Weiss pointed out, Alphonso Jackson is a man who has said, “Being poor is a state of mind.” Although Jackson comes from a poor background himself, he now represents the Bush administration in its opposition to government-funded social services. Jackson summed up this view at a May 25 press conference, saying, “Redistribution of wealth is a failure...It did not raise one person up.”

At the Portland rally, several people spoke to the contrary. Rob Cook, a disabled advocate from Eugene, talked about the impacts of Section 8 cuts on people with disabilities. According to Cook, about 20 percent of Oregonians live with a disability — he is one of them. In Lane County, where he is from, the percentage is even higher, standing at 32-35 percent. Many of these people, being unable to work, depend on Section 8 vouchers to keep them housed.

Alan Levine spoke about his own experience, having spent 30 years of his life homeless and addicted to drugs. He had both his feet amputated after they were severely frostbitten one night. Levine said, “I could not make recovery while I was worrying about where I was going to sleep and what I could eat. I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m just saying I was unable to do it.” After getting housing through the Section 8 program, he was at last able to deal with his drug problem.

Finally, Cassandra Garrison, from the Oregon Food Bank, spoke about her experience as a welfare mother who used Section 8 housing while she put herself through school. She now owns her own home.

Weiss returned from his meeting and reported that the local HUD representatives had been fairly sympathetic and had faxed his demands to the regional office in Seattle. He also read a statement from HUD promising to work with local housing authorities to cover any funding gaps caused by the April 22 notice. At this, someone in the crowd shouted, “That’s not enough!”

The following day, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 476, which represents more than a quarter of all HUD employees nationwide, voted to endorse a resolution demanding that Jackson preserve full funding for the Section 8 program.

Pam Negri, the HUD Officer of Public Affairs in Seattle, said she was unaware of the union’s decision. While admitting that some local programs will be hit harder than others by the April 22 changes, Negri said that less than half of all Housing Authorities nationwide are likely to be adversely affected. She pointed out that funding for Section 8 has actually increased over the past three years.

“Congress’ feeling was that the rate of increase was unsustainable,” Negri said. The April 22 memorandum that has housing advocates so incensed resulted from an appropriations bill passed in Congress in January 2004.

If the Bush administration remains in power after November, more funding cuts will certainly be in the works. The budget forecast for 2006 includes cuts in nearly all social service programs, including housing. For that reason, all the speakers at the May 26 rally passionately urged those present to register and vote.

Alan Levine said he has been losing sleep lately over fear that he will end up homeless again. He told the crowd, “When decisions are made 10,000 miles away in some kind of vacuum, I’m the one that suffers.”

Abby Sewell is local writer, activist, and Portland Alliance volunteer.