The policy thrust and governing philosophy of Ben Carson as housing and urban development (HUD) secretary in meeting the needs of America’s most vulnerable is unclear.



It is even more baffling in Detroit, a place of great need for affordable housing, a central tenet of HUD’s mission since its founding, and where Carson himself rose from extraordinary poverty to become a world-renowned neurosurgeon.



When Donald Trump unveiled his $1.15tn federal budget earlier this year – which does more harm than good in its deliberate intent to cut multiple social programs that have been longstanding staples of the federal government in helping the poor and vulnerable – HUD was a prime target.



The administration proposed a $6.2bn cut to HUD that includes the elimination of block grants that have long made it possible for Detroit to provide decent and affordable housing for families with low incomes.



Those grants have also been used to help rehabilitate homes that went under during the foreclosure crisis that peaked during the 2008 crash on Wall Street. At that time, many families were pushed out and others simply walked away from their homes in the Motor City.

Of course, there are not-for-profit organizations in the city that cater to the needs of individuals who are transitioning from drug addiction, homelessness and unemployment – including military veterans, women and children – but many of them now have to taste the bitter pills of helplessness and hopelessness.



Since the announcement of these cuts, there has been no public pushback from Carson against the damage they will do to his department’s $32.6bn budget in the next fiscal year. Rather, what we got from Carson regarding a budget that turns the Republican mantra of “compassionate conservatism” on its head was that “poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind”.

Such a dubious statement was not only insensitive but also mind-boggling. Tell that to poor families in Detroit – including thousands of children who go hungry to bed at night, their chances of success in life greatly diminished because of their conditions. Tell it to retirees who cannot make ends meet under the current economic climate, especially after their pensions were slashed in the wake of the bankruptcy.



Carson doubled down in a news report last month, saying: “The other thing to keep in mind is that the traditional view of HUD and government is we ride in on a white horse with a bucket of money and go off to the next thing. That particular model has led us to the point where we have three to four times as many people in need of affordable housing and it’s getting worse.”

That’s so wrong. People are not riding in on a white horse with HUD assistance. What we have is more and more people sliding into extreme poverty and in dire need of a fresh start in life. That does not amount to a welfare check. It is simply giving them a meaningful opportunity to redefine their lives for the better.



Justifying these hurtful cuts with callous claims betrays the long-held norm that a government’s primary responsibility is to protect its people. And that includes protecting them – especially the most vulnerable – from lack and misery. At the very least, these claims are not what is expected from a man who brags about how he overcame extreme poverty.



One would expect that Carson, who has talked about understanding the cruelty of poverty, will become its greatest ambassador to the federal government. Instead, Detroit may have to go it alone at a time when the erstwhile hometown hero – who even has a school named after him in the city – is the frontman for the government department that is expected to help bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots.



Four years ago, Pope Francis, this era’s most prominent champion of the poor, gave an address to the 38th Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations during which he said: “A way has to be found to be enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth, and not simply to close the gap between the affluent and those who must be satisfied with the crumbs falling from the table, but above all to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being.”



In Detroit, many couldn’t agree more with the pontiff.

