WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson to discuss the progress of HUD’s relocation efforts for residents at Alexander County Housing Authority (ACHA) in Cairo, Illinois.
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Durbin and Duckworth raised numerous concerns with Sec. Carson in order to gain clarity on important issues and ensure accountability of HUD. Among those concerns, Durbin and Duckworth pressed for an update on the status of mobility counseling and relocation efforts as well as how much vouchers had been given out to the waiting residents. They also called on Secretary Carson to not stop at indefinite debarment but to pursue civil penalties against former ACHA executives and board members.
“I recently met with some outstanding Illinois teens in Washington. One honor student happened to be from Cairo, Illinois and broke down into tears when talking to me because she is afraid that she will not be able to graduate high school with her friends. This is a tragic situation that has impacted so many innocent people. We must ensure that all parties are held responsible and that the people of Cairo are given every tool and resource necessary to find a safe and clean place to live,” said Durbin. “Senator Duckworth and I will continue pressing HUD and Secretary Carson to hold public meetings and ensure residents have a clear understanding of their options moving forward.”
“After my visit to Cairo this weekend and my meeting with Elmwood and McBride residents, I appreciated this opportunity to bring their concerns directly to HUD Secretary Ben Carson,” said Duckworth. “I’m glad the Secretary expressed a desire to help address this ongoing crisis and I have high expectations for what a determined and engaged Department of Housing and Urban Development can accomplish. But now Secretary Carson needs to actually deliver accountability and justice for the residents of these facilities, and I’ll keep pushing him to do so.”
Following an August 2015 report by The Southern Illinoisan entitled “Chaos in Cairo,” which found that the quality of life for residents at Alexander County Housing Authority (ACHA) had deteriorated and hundreds of thousands of federal dollars had been misused, Sen. Durbin joined with U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) in calling on HUD to investigate the allegations. Following that letter, HUD announced that it would be taking possession of ACHA.
Since the takeover, Senator Durbin has met with ACHA staff, tenants, and community activists to discuss the unsafe living conditions at Elmwood and McBride housing complexes in Cairo, Illinois, and his staff has worked closely with HUD and ACHA to address resident’s concerns. Senator Duckworth visited Cairo on Sunday to meet with local officials, tour the city and hear directly from residents of the complexes. Since being sworn into the Senate this January, she has worked to address the challenges faced by residents of these facilities, hold those responsible for this crisis accountable and improve the Cairo economy.
In April, HUD announced it would make housing vouchers available to residents of the Elmwood and McBride and that it would also offer relocation counseling to the 183 affected households, helping relocate them to available nearby public housing or public housing anywhere in the United States. Just before that announcement, Sens. Durbin and Duckworth had pressed HUD Secretary Ben Carson to decide on a course for the future of the ACHA developments as soon as possible and to meet with ACHA residents throughout the decision-making process to make sure their concerns and needs are adequately addressed.
In June, Sen. Durbin pressed Secretary Carson to commit to ensuring that the 183 affected households living at Elmwood and McBride housing complexes in Cairo, Illinois, will have the full support of HUD as they transition to new housing in a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD). Secretary Carson promised that the families in the public housing complexes in Cairo will be able to either stay in safe, clean, affordable housing in Cairo, Illinois, or move to any other location in the U.S. He also committed to ensuring that HUD staff is on-the-ground to help counsel the families and individuals on their options.
