At St. Anne’s, along with our Basic Care unit, we also offer low-rent housing in efficiency departments. (For more information on the distinctions between levels of care, see my article from last fall.)
I’d like to share an article which our former resident, Scott, wrote in our newsletter a couple years ago for the occasion of fair housing month:
Food, clothing and shelter are the absolute necessities of our life. All these are essential for all.
Beginning with the civil rights movement of the 1960s, which focused on fair, non-discriminating housing, the federal government passed the Fair Housing Act of 1968. This insured the opportunity for everyone to be able to get a fair deal on renting and buying homes. Generally, in addition to the anti-discrimination aspect of housing, affordable housing is available to many people. Usually, on housing assistance, 30% of one’s income goes into rent with the balance taken care of through this Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program. St. Anne’s is involved in the HUD program.
April is Fair Housing Month. Social organizations, religions and the government help in getting people housing. There is still a problem of homelessness but there is a great effort today to make homelessness only a temporary situation for individuals.