The Rental Assistance Demonstration program is a new privatization scheme being rolled out by (Housing & Urban Development) HUD, which faces a $26 Billion backlog in public housing repairs.
2.2 Million people live in public housing across the country, but it's been underfunded since the 1970's. Approximately, 10,000 public housing units are lost each year due to disrepair.
The program will allow private developers to take over the managing and running of public housing. It will also allow developers to take out loans from private banks and investors to maintain the buildings.
RAD is a pilot program, starting with 60,000 units across the country.
RAD does protect some residents rights in its 200 page notice (PDF) but, it remains unclear how rights not covered in the document will be enforced.
Karen Wabeke is part of a coalition that meets regularly with the Housing Authority of Baltimore City. She says Baltimore screens applicants using a “look-back period” — people with misdemeanor convictions in the 18 months before their applications, or felonies in the previous three years, will usually be rejected. But for properties converting to RAD, the felony “look-back period” could be extended to seven years.
The agency is also looking at more stringent credit screening for applicants.
Also at issue will the fate of public housing jobs.
n Baltimore, AFSCME Local 647 union members in green shirts flooded one housing authority meeting demanding a response to rumors that 200 unionized public housing staff could be laid off after RAD conversion.
This is why we desperately need a Democratic majority in congress in November. We need to fund our public housing, instead of inviting one more way of privatizing the commons.