Clinton HUD Secretary Calls for More Housing

Developers must build more housing units to avert a housing crisis across socioeconomic levels, Clinton’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development said at the Graduate School of Design (GSD) last night.

Henry Cisneros, who headed the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 1993 to 1997, presented a case for boosting the supply of affordable housing along all steps of the “housing continuum” as the key to housing an expanding population and the revitalizing urban neighborhoods.

“Our builders, our government officials, our local leaders, all of us—we must each do our part to build the homes that will create the life we want for all Americans,” he said.

Cisneros, who received his master’s in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government in 1973, stressed the importance of facilitating the gradual movement of individuals and families towards the ultimate goal of home ownership.

The housing continuum presented by Cisneros proceeds in seven steps from the most essential and minimal dwellings—such as homeless shelters and supportive housing—to the private housing market.

Cisneros pointed to the lowest step in the continuum as one of the areas most in need of assistance.

He cited figures from the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimating that the U.S. has 240,000 shelter beds, even though the number of homeless people in need on any given night is 800,000 people.

“That shortfall requires an enhanced commitment from the federal level as well as collaboration with local governments in siting and training,” he said.

He also spoke in favor of adding units to supportive housing for the chronically homeless, public housing, assisted housing, rental housing and homes bought by first-time and long-term buyers.

Across all categories of housing, he stressed the importance of a stable home environment in a stable community in attaining socioeconomic success.

Cisneros finished his lecture with a call for urban vitalization in centrally located areas.

“Despite the beliefs of some local officials that they are better served by attracting retail and business activity, in fact it is difficult to sustain permanent urban businesses vitality without a growing base of workers and consumers nearby,” he said. “Every new rooftop represents disposable income from a household.”

Cisneros’ remarks were given at the fifth annual John T. Dunlop Lecture, sponsored by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, the National Housing Endowment and the philanthropic associate of the National Association of Home Builders.

Dunlop is Lamont University Professor Emeritus.

During his tenure as HUD secretary he was probed by an independent counsel about allegations that he lied to FBI agents about payments to his ex-mistress. He plead guilty to a misdemeanor in 1999 and was pardoned by President Clinton in the last month of his administration.

He is currently president and CEO of American CityVista, a company that builds residential units in centrally located areas.

Spear Professor of Real Estate Development at the GSD Richard Peiser applauded Cisneros’s accomplishments and qualifications in an interview before the lecture.

“He is one of the best secretaries of HUD that we have had for a long time. He was quite successful at advancing the agendas for community development, housing development, and opening housing opportunities to those who have been priced out of the market,” Peiser said.