Disability advocates stage sit-in at Barney Frank's office Nick Cargo

Published: Wednesday September 17, 2008





Print This Email This This week, dozens have been arrested in Washington after confronting one congressman and two senators, The Hill reported.



Fifteen members of ADAPT, an advocacy organization for people with disabilities, staged a sit-in at the office of Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, on Wednesday. They sought to discuss their continued efforts to secure an allocation of Section 8 housing vouchers, yet to be funded by this Congress.



"Last year Rep. Barney Frank told us that he could get 500 housing

vouchers from HUD that would be targeted to free people with disabilities

who live in nursing homes and other institutions," said ADAPT's Diane Coleman. "He repeated that promise for months, and then one day he suddenly says he can't help us."



"Frank arranged a hearing on this funding, and not only did he not invite any people with disabilities to testify, he didn't even notify us about the hearing," Coleman added. "So, today, we decided to confront him on his broken promises and bad faith."



"Congress just bailed out the middle class," said ADAPT organizer Randy Alexander. "It's time that lower-income families and individuals get some assistance."



Legislation including the vouchers has passed the House, Frank said, adding that there was nothing more he could do; the House Appropriations Committee hasn't approved funding for them, and probably won't until after President Bush leaves office.



"When I heard that they had stormed into the office and occupied it," Frank said, "I went in and told them that was not an acceptable way of doing business and I told them to leave and if they didnt leave, I would have the police remove them."



"I think that its undemocratic, these kind of tactics," he added, "and I wont be influenced by them."



"The TV is full of news about the bank crisis, and the mortgage crisis,

and the need for candidates to appeal to middle income people," said ADAPT organizer Cassie James. "Meanwhile, people who live

on disability benefits, and people who are trapped in nursing homes

because of no housing are being held hostage while the government bails

everyone else out. Rent has gone up so much, it's higher than many monthly

disability benefits. Not only do us younger people with disabilities need

affordable, accessible housing, older people need it, too. This is a

crisis, and we need help to solve it."



"I very much agree with them and I have in fact been working for it," Frank added. "Frankly, their problem is not with me, its with the appropriations process and the budget. Theyre very frustrated, so they came, and I dont know why they thought doing this in my office was going to help them.



"Some of the leaders may have thought that I could get [House Appropriations Committee chairman] Obey (D-WI) to do something. But Obey can't make money that isn't there. The basic problem is that there isnt enough money in the budget for the kind of vouchers they want and I support them in fighting for it."



A total of 52 people were charged with unlawful assembly between the sit-in at Rep. Frank's office and visits to the offices of Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL), chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. An aide to Sen. Dodd spoke to ADAPT, but did not go on record. Shelby also spoke to the demonstrators for about five minutes, said his spokeswoman Laura Henderson.



11 members of ADAPT were charged on Monday after picketing Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) presidential campaign office, along with a demonstration at the Democratic National Committee's office.



"We don't want no houses like he has. Seven houses. We don't need anything fancy. We're asking for an apartment," said Cassie James on Monday, in support of the Community Choice Act (S.799, H.R. 1621), which aims to extend Medicaid funds to home care as well as institutions. Senator McCain has not supported the bill, which he reportedly thinks is too expensive.



Photo credit: Tom Olin





