WHEREAS:

Despite the booming economy for business and some American citizens, the lack of decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing persists in crisis proportions for other Americans both in urban and rural areas. An estimated 54,000 blighted properties exist in our host City of Brotherly Love alone; and

WHEREAS:

Our nation's infrastructure in urban and suburban areas continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate; and

WHEREAS:

Many inner city urban neighborhoods are stagnating or declining due to economic disinvestment, poor housing conditions, lack of decent paying jobs, decaying infrastructure, inadequately funded public education, and social problems related to all of these; and

WHEREAS:

Due to virtually unfettered private sector development, suburban areas, from the inner ring suburbs to the exurbs are now being confronted with "Suburban sprawl", which is all too familiar to the older cities of the Northeast and Midwest; and

WHEREAS:

Conservative and right-wing attacks on the public sector and attempts to reduce government have resulted in the loss of public sector jobs that either had or could have dealt with these issues; and

WHEREAS:

One of the few programs where bipartisan support exists to provide funding to combat the lack of decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing, blighted urban conditions and suburban sprawl, is the Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That the 34th AFSCME International Convention adopt as a legislative priority an immediate significant increase in Federal Community Development Block Grant funding to deal with problems of homelessness, inadequate affordable housing, decaying infrastructure; deteriorated urban neighborhoods, joblessness, and suburban sprawl.

SUBMITTED BY:

Jeffrey L. Brown, President
Cynthia L. Harris, Recording Secretary
AFSCME Local 1971, Council 33
Pennsylvania