Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This file contains material relating to Community Development Block Grant Program.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
1133450
label
1/29/76 - White House Briefing with Conference of Mayors
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
1133450
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
1/29/76 - White House Briefing with Conference of Mayors
description
This file contains material relating to Community Development Block Grant Program.
citationUrl
collections
Carla A. Hills Speeches
Speeches
subjects
Federal aid
Housing
Local government
Revenue sharing
Urban policy
Urban renewal
iiifBase
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
1133450
coverageEndDate
day
29
logicalDate
1976-01-29
month
1
year
1976
coverageStartDate
day
29
logicalDate
1976-01-29
month
1
year
1976
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
url
mediaId
d033c3d80b062cfb
ocrText
The original documents are located in Box 2, folder "1/29/76 - White House Briefing with
Conference of Mayors" of the Carla A. Hills Speeches at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential
Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 2 of the Carla A. Hills Speeches at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FINAL
WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING WITH CONFERENCE OF MAYORS
JANUARY 29, 1976
WE BOTH FACE THE VERY SERIOUS PROBLEMS OF PROVIDING
HOUSING AND INDUCING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN A PERIOD OF
UNPRECEDENTED BUDGET STRAIN AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT,
BETTER SOLUTIONS COME THROUGH OUR OPENING THE LINES
OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN US,
I THINK YOU KNOW THAT WE DO LISTEN.
REVENUE SHARING CAME INTO BEING BECAUSE OF THE HARD
WORK AND INSPIRATION PROVIDED BY THE NATION'S MAYORS. You
SAW. You CAME, You ADVISED, WE ACTED TOGETHER.
WE KNOW THAT RENEWAL OF THE STATE AND LOCAL FEDERAL
ASSISTANCE ACT DEPENDS ON OUR COMMON EFFORT TO CONVINCE
CONGRESS IN THE MONTHS IMMEDIATELY AHEAD.
AT HUD THERE IS NO MORE COMPELLING TESTIMONY TO THE
VALUE OF OUR WORKING TOGETHER THAN THE INITIAL SUCCESS WE
HAVE ACHIEVED IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM,
-2-
CONGRESS AND THIS ADMINISTRATION CAN APPROPRIATELY
TAKE CREDIT FOR THEIR VISION AND CONFIDENCE IN ASSIGNING
BOTH THE MONEY AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR NEEDED COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT TO THE LOCAL OPTIONS OF THE COMMUNITIES.
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CAN APPROPRIATELY TAKE CREDIT IN
HOW THEY ALLOTTED THOSE FUNDS,
OUR STUDIES SHOW 67 PERCENT OF BLOCK GRANT FUNDS ARE
BEING USED FOR "PREVENTION OF SLUMS AND BLIGHT" -- AND
"CONSERVATION AND EXPANSION OF HOUSING STOCK".
HUD's BUDGET FOR 1977 WILL ENABLE US TO CONTINUE TO
ADDRESS THESE COMMON GOALS IN A MEANINGFUL WAY,
OUR BUDGET CALLS FOR INCREASES IN KEY PROGRAMS OF
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND IT SQUARES WITH
PRESIDENT FORD'S CALL FOR "COMMON SENSE" GOVERNMENT AND
HONESTY WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
IT "PROMISES NO MORE THAN WE CAN DELIVER" AND IT GIVES
HUD THE MEANS TO "DELIVER ON ALL THAT WE PROMISE".
FORD
-3-
LET ME JUST MENTION THREE HIGHLIGHTS WHICH I BELIEVE
WILL ASSIST OUR CITIES:
ONE: WE PROPOSE DIRECT SUBSIDY FOR OVER 500,000
HOUSING UNITS FOR THE YEAR -- THE KIND OF
NUMBERS YOU HAVEN'T HEARD FROM HUD IN A
LONG TIME.
Two: WE REQUEST FULL AUTHORIZATION -- $3.2 BILLION
-- FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS.
HERE, AGAIN, -- YOU'LL FIND THAT SUCH A
REQUEST FOR FULL STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION OF
AVAILABLE FUNDS IS NEW TO HUD's RECENT HISTORY,
CERTAINLY, IT IS IN ACCORD WITH THE PRESIDENT'S
DESIGN FOR "NEW REALISM" IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS,
THREE: WE PLAN A DELIBERATE, SHARP DROP IN HUD's
INVENTORY OF ACQUIRED PROPERTIES. AND, WE
INTEND TO SHOW A REAL CUTBACK IN THE RATE OF
MORTGAGE ASSIGNMENTS. ABANDONED, PARTIALLY
FILLED BUT DETERIORATING PROJECTS BLIGHT YOUR
CITIES -- AND WHERE THE STRUCTURES ARE SOUND,
-4-
OUR MUTUAL GOALS ARE MET BY MAKING GOOD OF
THEM. WE WILL USE NEW INITIATIVES, UNDER
OUR RENTAL SUBSIDY PROGRAM -- BOTH TO HELP
PROJECTS IN DEFAULT, AND TO ASSIST
REHABILITATION IN SELLING THOSE PROJECTS
BEING WASTED IN OUR INVENTORY.
I AM PLEASED WITH HUD's 1977 BUDGET. IT CONCENTRATES
ON THE REAL NATIONAL OBJECTIVES IN HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT. I THINK IT IS THE RIGHT ONE TO DO THE RIGHT
JOB FOR THIS COUNTRY AND FOR YOUR CITIES, IN HELPING TO
HOUSE OUR LOW AND MODERATE INCOME AMERICAN PEOPLE AND IN
HELPING TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR URBAN RECOVERY.
I DO NOT STAND HERE AND TELL YOU THAT THESE GOALS WILL
BE EASILY ACHIEVED. FOR WE BOTH KNOW THEY WILL NOT BE.
OUR PRIMARY GOAL IS TO KEEP THE RATE OF INFLATION DOWN
-- AND THE PRESIDENT IS ACHIEVING THIS,
EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM LOOKS TO NATIONAL ECONOMIC
IMPROVEMENT AND STABILITY IN 1977 -- AND WE HAVE REASON
TO BE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IT.
-5-
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS A PUMP-PRIMER, NOT THE WELL.
IT'S ROLE IS TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WHEN AND WERE IT'S NEEDED
-- AND TO WITHDRAW IT WHEN AND WHERE IT IS NOT,
ON THAT BASIS THERE'S GOOD REASON TO HOPE THAT HOUSING
WON'T REQUIRE EMERGENCY HYPERDERMICS.
BUT, IT IS EVIDENT FROM PRESIDENT FORD'S RECORD THAT
IF, AS, WHEN AND WHERE NEED IS APPARENT PRUDENT ASSISTANCE
WILL BE FORTHCOMING.
TAKE $15 BILLION IN MORTGAGE PURCHASE ASSISTANCE FOR
500,000 SINGLE-FAMILY HOME BUYERS WE HAVE RELEASED OVER THE
PAST 22 MONTHS WHEN PRIVATE FUNDS WERE NOT AVAILABLE,
OR THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO RELEASE $3 BILLION IN
ASSISTANCE FOR 120,000 MULTI-FAMILY UNITS JUST THREE WEEKS
AGO BECAUSE THE MULTI-FAMILY MARKET NEEDS HELP -- WHEREAS,
THE SINGLE-FAMILY MARKETS, THANKS TO THE PRESIDENT'S PROGRAMS,
HAVE STARTED TO REACH ACCEPTABLE RECOVERY LEVELS. THIS
MULTI-FAMILY ASSISTANCE CAN BE TIED DIRECTLY INTO OUR RENTAL
SUBSIDY PROGRAM.
-6-
OR THE REACTIVATION THREE MONTHS AGO OF THE HOMEOWNERSHIP
SUBSIDY PROGRAM -- WHICH WILL GENERATE 250,000 NEW STARTS,
500,000 NEW JOBS AND $6.5 BILLION IN NEW CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY.
THIS PROGRAM WILL COVER THE FULL RANGE OF HOUSING
STRUCTURES -- SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED, TOWN HOUSES, CONDOMINIUMS
AND COOPERATIVES -- so THAT IT CAN WORK IN OUR CITIES AS WELL
AS IN OUR LESS DENSELY POPULATED AREAS.
WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON DEVELOPING A CO-INSURANCE
PROGRAM WITH STATE HOUSING FINANCE AGENCIES THAT WILL BETTER
ENABLE THEM TO FINANCE HOUSING IN OUR CITIES. STATE AGENCIES
HAVE EXPRESSED CONFIDENCE THAT THIS APPROACH, MORE THAN
OTHERS, CAN PROVIDE THE ASSISTANCE THEY NEED.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON PRESERVATION
AND REHABILITATION OF THE HOUSING OUR CITIES ALREADY HAVE,
OUR RENTAL SUBSIDY USED WITH EXISTING HOUSING CAN HELP --
HELP HOUSE OUR POOR AND HELP IMPROVE OUR HOUSING. WE HAVE
BEEN TOGETHER ON THE LOGIC OF RECYCLING URBAN HOUSING STOCK
AT EVERY MEETING WE'VE HAD. IT IS FAR LESS EXPENSIVE THAN
NEW BUILDING. IT DOES MAKE JOBS. IT SERVES MORE PEOPLE,
MORE QUICKLY. IT IMPROVES BOTH THE HOUSING STOCK AND THE
WORTH OF THE PROPERTY. AND IT LINKS DIRECTLY TO YOUR
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT PLANS.
-7-
IN HONESTY, I BELIEVE HUD's BUDGET AND THE PROGRAMS
IT SUPPORTS ARE THE RIGHT ONES TO DO THE RIGHT JOB AT THE
RIGHT TIME FOR THIS COUNTRY -- FOR OUR CITIES -- AND FOR
THE PEOPLE WE ARE ALL TRYING TO HELP.