The former president expressed support for candidates promoting affordable housing
Former President Jimmy Carter called on voters to elect candidates who support affordable housing, saying the administration of President Donald Trump is ignoring the country’s housing crisis, according to a CNBC report.
"Low-income housing needs to be raised much higher as a priority for our country," Carter told CNBC in a phone interview. "That's the first step toward making people who are now dependent on government assistance, on welfare rolls, to get a good job and have a chance to raise their families and put their kids through school."
Carter also said there is a need for broad reforms to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Under Secretary Ben Carson, HUD has proposed changes to public housing programs, included rolling back rent restrictions as well as increasing the minimum rent for the poorest tenants. Additionally, the White House’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2019 would cut HUD funding by $8.8 billion. The proposal also called for work requirements for tenants who receive public-housing subsidies.
Carson says that he seeks to combat a cycle of dependency by reducing assistance to the poor. However, Carter believes this approach is misguided.
"I don't think that making people self-sufficient who are already in desperate need and who have never had a decent place to live is a good approach to low-income housing," Carter said. "You can make people suffer longer by depriving them of adequate help."
