By Molly Parker
Staff Writer

With the new Hope VI housing program still in its infancy in North Charleston and in cities across the nation, it could be years before taxpayers know whether it was worth what amounts to one of the largest government investments in public housing since Franklin Roosevelt signed the U.S. Housing Act of 1937.

The Bush administration has cut HOPE VI funding in its last several budgets, arguing that Section 8 vouchers used to subsidize rent in privately owned homes and apartment complexes are a more economical solution.

Thus far, Congress has consistently restored the HOPE VI line item. But Citizens Against Government Waste, a conservative watchdog organization, continues to question why billions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on a program that is ultimately reducing the number of public housing units in the nation.

“If they (governments) could clean up their act and make it a responsible program, then we probably wouldn’t take issue with it per se,” said David Williams, the group’s vice president of policy.

In North Charleston, for instance, before HopeVI there were 637 public housing units available for the poorest of residents. When the dust settles on the new Horizon Village construction in the city, there will be only 314 such units, even though population and need continues to grow in the city. Mary Lynn Sox, coordinator for the new North Charleston Housing Authority developments, said the ultimate goal is to build more. The public housing waiting list—which just opened up again this month—is generally so full that even seniors and the neediest must wait more than a year for help.

The people who were moved from North Park Village were given Section 8 vouchers and relocation help. But in an inevitably imperfect public housing system, even one built with the best of intentions, some people end up falling through the cracks in the transition, said Tammie Hoy, executive director of the Lowcountry Housing Trust.

“Ultimately you do end up (ostracizing) some people because of the fact they just can’t afford to move back into that community,” Hoy said.

Still, at the recent dedication ceremony for Horizon Village, U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn told the crowd not to be deterred by critics who decry the program as government bloat. He pledged to continue fighting for HOPE VI funding, using Biblical scripture to back up his case.

“If your brothers and sisters come to you hungry and naked, it’s not enough to tell them to go in faith,” Clyburn said, paraphrasing a quote from Jesus’ brother James, who instructed Christians to feed and clothe the poor as well. If James were alive today, Clyburn said, “he’d say we have to house them, too.”

Molly Parker is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at mparker@charlestonbusiness.com.

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