Most importantly, membership in the Coalition will strengthen our collective voice in Washington. Andrew Cuomo's confirmation hearing before the full Senate Banking Committee is scheduled for Wednesday. This will be an important day not just for the Secretary-designate but for housing and community development policy and its potential place on the federal agenda. We often speak of affordable housing or programs at risk.
Lets be clear, a designated federal role in community development and housing is at risk.
On another note, there is a growing interest and commitment by local communities, private lenders, FNMA and the other GSE's, homebuilders, the Administration and others to increase the percentage of homeowners in this country. As a coalition of many aspects of the housing community, many of our members work actively to create homeownership opportunities for people of color and low income households. Few in the housing community recognize the link between this effort and our conversations about the impacts of welfare reform or Medicare changes or even the balanced budget amendment. Not to see the connection is to miss one of the most critical aspects of the effort in the homeownership development arena. An untold number of existing homeowners in America are at risk of losing their homes because of changes in welfare benefits or other government policies.