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PAGE 12 — The Georgia Bulletin, February 12, 1987 Testimony To Senate Subcommittee USCC Aide Soys Federal Housing Policy A Factor In Homelessness WASHINGTON (NC) - Americans “can no longer fool ourselves” about the failure to provide a basic human right in adequate housing, said Father J. Bryan Hehir, U.S. Catholic Conference secretary for social development and world peace. In-testimony submitted to the Senate Banking, Hous ing and Urban Affairs Com mittee’s Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs. Father Hehir criticized federal housing policies and said the private sector alone cannot solve the problem. A copy of his test imony was provided by the USCC Feb. 2. "We can no longer fool ourselves about the nature of the homelessness crisis in this country," he stated. ‘‘Now it is becoming clearer that homelessness is not primarily caused by personal failures but by in stitutional failures,” he said. No longer can the homeless population be labeled as merely mental cases, drug or alcohol abusers, or young, single parent families too ig norant or inexperienced to help themselves, he said. Now, the homeless increas ingly include “families with children and one or both parents who are employ ed,” the priest said. “Recent press reports describe a 1,000 percent in crease in homelessness since 1979 — from 200,000 to over 2 million,” he stated. He said two factors in volved in the problem are “the inadequacy of federal housing policy and the dramatic growth in pover ty” In fiscal 1981, the last year of the Carter ad ministration’s budgets, President Carter asked for $33.5 billion for housing pro grams, and Congress gave him $30.8 billion. Father Hehir said. For fiscal 1987, the cur rent fiscal year. President Reagan sought $2.3 billion and Congress provided $7.8 billion, he added. “That is a 75 percent reduction in housing aid.” In addition, he said, the real value of the minimum wage has dropped by 25 per cent. working parents with incomes below the poverty level are no longer eligible for supplemental welfare or subsidized child care, two- thirds of the unemployed Vatican Forms Commission To Assess Hunthausen Case BY JERRY FILTEAU WASHINGTON (NC) - The Holy See has formed a commission of two U.S. car dinals and an archbishop “to assess the current situa tion in the Archdiocese of Seattle.” Last year Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen of Seattle was instructed by the Vatican to give up his authority in several key areas. The action provoked wide controversy, and the U.S. bishops last November offered to mediate the dispute. The members of the new commission are Cardinals Joseph L. Bernardin of Chicago and John J. O’Con nor of New York and Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco. Archbishop Pio Laghi, papal pronuncio to the United States, announced formation of the commis sion with a brief written statement Feb. 9. He said Archbishop Hunthausen “has express ed his concurrence;; with the decision. He gave no other details. On Feb. 10, the commis sion members issued a joint statement from Dallas, where they were attending a medical morals workshop of bishops and theologians. “We initiated our task in Dallas and will make our report to the Holy See when it has been completed,” they said. There will be “no further public statement," they added. The prelates’ statement said the three were notified of their appointment in a Jan. 26 letter from Arch bishop Laghi. They also said that the assessment "was envisioned by the Holy See and agreed to by Arch bishop Hunthausen when the auxiliary. Bishop Wuerl, was appointed more than a year ago." In late 1985 the Holy See announced completion of a three-year investigation of Archbishop Hunthausen’s leadership in Seattle, and shortly afterward it ap pointed Bishop Donald Wuerl as his auxiliary. In September 1986 Arch bishop Hunthausen an nounced that, following in structions from the Holy See, he was delegating full, final authority to Bishop Wuerl in areas of liturgy, seminarians, clergy forma- tion, the archdiocesan tribunal, and several other areas of church discipline and teaching. Amid the nationwide con troversy that ensued over the unprecedented division of episcopal authority, Archbishop Laghi issued a “chronology” of the Seattle events in which he said the Holy See considered Arch bishop Hunthausen “lack ing the firmness necessary to govern the arch diocese." In November the Na tional Conference of Catholic Bishops debated the Hunthausen case for more than four hours behind closed doors. The result of that meeting was a public statement by Bishop James Malone of Youngstown, Ohio, outgo ing NCCB president, saying the U.S. bishops had no authority to intervene in the case but stood ready to mediate if invited by both parties to do so. Cardinal Bernardin and Archbishop Quinn are past presidents of the NCCB. And Cardinals Bernardin and O'Connor have been noted for their national leadership and mutual sup port of the U.S. bishops' 1983 pastoral letter on war and peace and for their pro life activities. Archbishop Quinn has played a key role in recent years in trying to ease ten sions between the Holy See and members of U.S. religious orders and im prove relations between bishops and Religious across the country. Georgia Bulletin Ads Bring Results! don’t get unemployment in surance, and two-parent families are often denied welfare. “Is it any wonder that shelters are full of families with children?” he asked. He said that “the marketplace itself does not and will not provide ade quate and affordable hous ing for the poor. It is essen tial, therefore, that govern ment policy initiatives be undertaken to ensure de cent shelter for all Americans.” Catholic agencies and other church and non-profit groups have been scramb ling in recent years to shelter and house the homeless, he said. “In the end, however, the private voluntary sector does not have adequate resources to deal with these problems alone” and needs federal government assistance, he said. He proposed a three pronged attack on homelessness, starting with action “to get money out quickly to states, municipalities and non profit agencies to provide short-term housing and ser vices for the homeless.” "Secondly, the federal government needs to move now on a major new in itiative to increase the sup ply of low-cost housing,” he suggested. Housing vouchers backed by Reagan “would do little to increase the supply but would simply help a few of the poor to compete” for housing, he said. "Finally,” he added, “in the long term we need a coordinated effort to in crease the incomes of poor families” by reforming welfare, creating job pro grams, increasing the minimum wage, and in itiating training programs. Father Edwin M. Con way, administrator of Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Chicago and treasurer of Catholic Charities USA, told a House of Representatives sub committee Feb. 4 that church services and facilities for the homeless are insufficient to cope with the problem. YOUR HOSPITAL AND DOCTOR WILL PROVIDE THE FINEST MEDICAL CARE For more information, contact P.O.S.H. Center at 851-9227. But what the doctor orders after surgery or a hospital stay is rest. Let P.O.S.H. Center provide the relaxation and pampering you need before going home. The staff of P.O.S.H. Center will provide Plenty Of Southern Hospitality while you regain your strength physically and emotionally. As nurses, the owners understand the special needs of postoperative patients. WE’LL PROVIDE THE REST. P.O.S.H. Center also offers a variety of services from meal preparation to massages to secretarial services. At P.O.S.H. Center, located in Sandy Springs, you will enjoy a private or semi-private rixtm with all the comforts of a home-like environment. No medical care is provided at P.O.S.H. Center —\your doctor takes care of that. We’ll simply pamper you until you feel ready to face the world again. If you’re recovering from cosmetic surgery, foot or leg surgery or similar ailments; if you live alone, or have small children; if you’ve come from out of town — consider P.O.S.H. Center as a welcome alternative. P0§!H. Center 76 Allen Road. NW Atlanta, Georgia 10128 (404 ) 851-9227
