Tenants Take Action Against Increases By Federal Government Sequester 12 Noon Thursday August 29

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Aug. 27, 2013 - PRLog -- The sequester -- a federal cutting of the budget due to DC gridlock -- is hitting Silicon Valley's elderly, disabled, and low-income families especially hard. In one of the costliest places to live in the nation, Section 8 tenants are seeing rents skyrocket as a result of the sequester, and many now face homelessness. This video was produced in collaboration with the Community Homeless Alliance Ministries, a group that is organizing against the rent increases.

Tenants and their allies will take action against devastating rent increases caused by the Federal government sequester at 12 noon on Thursday, August 29 at San Jose City Hall.

Some 17,000 tenants on the Federal Section 8 housing program in Santa Clara County recently received rent hikes of 10% or more due to draconian cuts caused by the government stalemate in Washington. Some families have received astonishing increases of $900 or more.  

57% of Section 8 voucher holders in Santa Clara County are seniors or disabled and 61% are on fixed incomes. There is simply no way they can afford rent increases of this magnitude. In many cases the result will be homelessness, dislocation, and destruction of families.

The government is further threatening to continue to do nothing, which will result in additional unbearable cuts next year.  Watch the video http://youtu.be/ACMAhA872dw



Local congressmembers have been invited to attend and receive the petitions of the tenants. Tenants are calling for immediate reversal of the sequester and allocation of adequate affordable housing funds to meet the needs of the American people. According to our constitution, the role of government is to promote the general welfare of the people, not the private benefit of corporations.

Silicon Valley is the richest area in the richest country in the world, and we are richer now than ever before in our history. There is nothing except shortsightedness to prevent us from taking care of our most vulnerable people. There is nothing but a lack of social vision to prevent us from putting the needs of our residents before tax breaks for corporations. There is nothing, except a tragic moral blindness, that prevents us from paying attention to the human suffering going on right here in our own community.

JUST SAY NO TO OUTRAGEOUS RENT INCREASES FOR SECTION 8!
SEND CONGRESS A MESSAGE: REVERSE THE SEQUESTER, HOUSE YOUR PEOPLE!

TIME: 12 NOON THURSDAY AUGUST 29

PLACE: SAN JOSE CITY HALL, WEST PLAZA, FOURTH AND SANTA CLARA STREET, SAN JOSE

Contact De-Bug http://www.siliconvalleydebug.org