WHEREAS, the Department of Housing and Urban Development Moving to Work Program is critical to helping low income families in our communities; and

WHEREAS, Moving to Work (MTW) allows for greater flexibility for PHA and HUD to design and test various ways of addressing the housing needs for low income families; and

WHEREAS, MTW provides incentives for families seeking work or preparing for work by participating in job training, educational programs, and programs that assist people to gain employment and become economically self-sufficient; and

WHEREAS, experience gained from the existing MTW Program shows that residents benefit from the increased flexibility given to Public Housing Authorities; and

WHEREAS, participating PHAs have concluded that MTW encourages residents to seek employment, work more steadily, and pursue opportunities to increase their income; and

WHEREAS, Moving to Work agencies administer over 130,000 public housing and 230,000 Section 8 units, or more than 10% of current housing stock; and

WHEREAS, MTW has shown how to operate and manage in ways that are accountable to their residents and local communities without penalizing rules that add to the cost but not to the value of the program; and

WHEREAS, innovation is key to solving the housing needs of our communities; and

WHEREAS, MTW generates more housing for low income workers.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the United States Conference of Mayors calls upon Congress to reauthorize and expand the program in such a way that allows maximum local flexibility in the operation of housing programs and to allow the continuation of current successful demonstrations.