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Thursday, January 19, 2017

National Association Of Social Workers Proves It Is A Left Leaning Organization Whose Only Objective Is Not To Help People But To Be A Political Action Organization




Statement: NASW withholds support of confirmation of Dr. Ben Carson to lead U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development


Photo courtesy of CNBC.
Photo courtesy of CNBC.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) withholds its support of the Senate confirmation of Dr. Ben Carson to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) because he has no discernible qualifications to manage an agency of such magnitude and complexity.
It is crucial that HUD have a qualified leader. The agency oversees housing programs, policies and initiatives that are critical for clients who are low or moderate income, especially those who are persons of color.
The emergence of HUD as a cabinet-level agency has historical significance. Its creation was precipitated by civil rights advocacy and activism during the 1960s that brought attention to the deplorable state of some housing in cities and rural areas.
HUD was launched in 1965 after passage of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act. The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 to combat housing discrimination and the HUD secretary was deemed responsible for implementing and enforcing the directives of this law.
Both legislative actions effectively changed the nation’s approach to housing policy and creating housing opportunities for low and moderate income families and individuals.
For the last half century incoming Republican and Democratic presidents sought to appoint individuals that had either been elected officials who had direct experience with large-scale housing initiatives or those who were experts in housing policies and planning.
Indeed, the first HUD Secretary was Robert C. Weaver, an African American who had extensive academic and administrative experience in dealing with the nation’s housing problems. President John F. Kennedy in 1960 appointed Mr. Weaver to head the federal Housing and Home Finance Agency. President Lyndon B. Johnson named him head of newly created HUD in 1966.
Given the qualifications of many of his predecessors NASW finds it risky to appoint someone such as Dr. Carson who is so lacking in the credentials and commitment to head the department and uphold HUD’s housing mandate.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition perhaps said it best when it stated, “Carson’s lack of expertise in housing issues is a mockery of HUD and its far-reaching urban policy efforts—but for HUD, it’s also nothing new. Since the agency’s inception, the government has charged HUD with carrying out a litany of important tasks with very few resources. Carson’s appointment is unsettling, but it merely marks the latest chapter of a long history of limiting HUD’s capacity to tackle urban inequality and provide housing assistance to low-income residents.”
NASW finds Dr. Carson’s experience wanting and his stated positions on issues of fair housing and subsidized housing raise serious concerns.
The reality is that over the years HUD’s capacity to address the nation’s housing needs have been limited by politicians, which makes the appointment of Dr. Carson so significant.
By all reports, Dr. Carson has made public statements about low-income housing that suggest he is far less a champion of maintaining the fair housing standards and the housing safety-net than NASW would hope.
For example, in a 2015 written statement about disparate impact that was related to subsidized housing in wealthy areas and suburban segregation, Dr. Carson disparaged the current HUD Secretary Julian Castro’s fair housing position as being “a government engineered attempt to legislate racial equality.” Such a point of view is contrary to what NASW and others expect from HUD’s leadership.
We must not lose sight of the fact that HUD is responsible for funding and overseeing seminal and innovative programs including the Continuum of Care program that provides for comprehensive services to prevent and end homelessness.
HUD also provides funds to states for the Section 8 Housing Choice voucher program. Section 8 is HUD’s largest rental assistance program that serves people who are low income. Local Housing Authorities are responsible for administering Section 8 housing voucher allocations.  Approximately 3.3 million low-income families use either Housing Choice vouchers or Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance.
NASW finds Dr. Carson’s experience wanting and his stated positions on issues of fair housing and subsidized housing raise serious concerns.
However, should Dr. Carson become the next Secretary of HUD we believe he has a responsibility to become knowledgeable about the absolute necessity to maintain and even expand essential HUD programs such as homeless Continuum of Care, Section 8 Housing Choice and the many other housing programs targeted at rural, suburban and urban areas.
He must also recognize the historical importance of HUD’s mandate to ensure that low and moderate income Americans have access to safe affordable housing that meets high standards of livability.
For more information contact Mel Wilson, NASW manager of Social Justice and Human Rights, at mwilson.nasw@socialworkers.org.

6 comments

  1. Michelle stewart
    At what point will the NASW makr it a national campaign to educate the country on our roles in society and punlish such a letter as this to make advocacy the forefront of our profession and education campaign?
  2. This country is now a for profit private sector corp.
  3. Thanks for a great article. Sadly it sounds like this nominee, many of the other nominees, the President Elect and his advisers and many members of Congress have either not heard of or don’t the believe the concepts of institutional racism and white privilege. Additional their views are condemning or profiling the very people they think can make it on their own but concluding that if you need assistance, government or otherwise, it’s because you’re unwilling to work and realize the many opportunities that American society provides all its citizens and residents.
    • The usual leftist trash. Sad to see you elected a senator with no prior experience beyond four years. Yet leftist think they have the best interests of the country in hand. What if he was a black democrat would it be different.
  4. Have you met Dr. Carson? Have you read his book or have seen the movie about his life, starring Cuba Gooding Jr.? Dr. Carson knows poverty and housing challenges from his own personal history. He watched his mother work three jobs to support him and his siblings. He knows what it takes to succeed against great odds.
    As a pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Carson is well acquainted with social systems and bureaucracies. He will bring a fresh eye to a system that may benefit from his leadership. His statements during the Senate confirmation hearing were repeatedly focused on fair housing and outcomes that are best for the people he will serve.
  5. Kathryn fitzner LCSW
    Dr. Carson is a wonderful candidate and would be an asset to any administration. His experience is first hand and he is an example to many. Shame on NASW for not doing their homework .

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