We have a meeting!
I just received a response today from Kim Kendrick, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Despite what her assistant told me the other day, here is Kim’s response:
October 5, 2007
Ms. Anita Cameron
497 State Street
Rochester, NY 14608
Dear Ms. Cameron:
Thank you for your invitation to meet with representatives of the Rochester, New York, ADAPT chapter on October 11, 2007. As we have discussed, I will be available for a brief meeting following my presentation at the 6th Annual State of Fair Housing Conference.
On September 9, 2007, during my speaking engagement at the ADAPT Forum on Disability Rights in Housing, I outlined a few of HUD’s efforts to address the issue of affordable, accessible and integrated housing. HUD has executed Voluntary Compliance Agreements with many of the nation’s largest housing authorities and is on course to create almost 5,000 fully accessible units through this enforcement mechanism. We will continue to create an increased inventory of accessible housing units across the nation through our Section 504 compliance reviews. In addition, the Department seeks to support the President’s Money Follows the Person Initiative. I have directed all future Section 504 compliance reviews to include an assessment of public housing authority procedures to ensure that Mainstream and other special purpose vouchers are reassigned to eligible applicants with disabilities.
The Department is committed to furthering affordable, accessible, and integrated housing. I look forward to our meeting and hope that we can constructively work together to improve and expand housing opportunities for people with disabilities.
Sincerely,
Kim Kendrick
It will be interesting to see what Kim will have to say to us. I am sure that it will be more of the same old stuff. I will keep you informed.