Seattle– Last year, Congress voted to cut a successful federal program that fights crime and drug activity in and around public housing communities. As a result of the federal government’s termination of the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP), the King County Housing Authority will lose more than $1.1 million annually in drug prevention efforts. PHDEP funds pay for enhanced police protection, including police substations, in and around public housing developments and for educational, cultural and recreational programs for youth.

"The federal government has killed a hugely effective program – one that keeps public housing and surrounding neighborhoods safe and offers positive alternatives to young people who might otherwise be at risk for engaging in drug-related activities," said KCHA Executive Director Stephen Norman. "There is no doubt that this loss of funding will make it very difficult for us to continue these efforts, especially in light of the high utility expenses we are facing.

"This cut is particularly devastating because it comes at a time when we are also seeing significant cuts to human services programs at both the local and state levels. Nonprofit organizations with which the Housing Authority partners, such as the Boys & Girls Club and Neighborhood House, were already experiencing a significant financial pinch due to cutbacks in state and local funding.

Services and programs supported by Drug Elimination Program funding include:

• Community police officers and police substations (located in public housing developments)
• On-site youth recreation programs
• Early childhood programs
• Tutoring programs
• Computer centers
• A job support center and welfare-to-work training and employment assistance
• Substance abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment and access to family counseling
• Translation and interpretation services for non-English speaking families.

While additional funds for operations in last year’s appropriations bill were provided– which Congress said could be used to fund activities previously paid for from the Drug Elimination Program– they amounted to a little more than one-third of what was cut and is needed by housing authorities to pay rising utility costs.

"It’s unthinkable that Congress would actually choose to sacrifice the future of our children," said Daniel Johnson, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County. "Loss of Congressional funding assures failure in the face of great success: With programs funded by PHDEP, crime has gone down, teens have stayed in school and families have become stronger. Without the PHDEP, funding for important after-school programs for vulnerable youth, such as computer labs or homework tutorials, will be cut off. Congress needs to use its power to assure continued success for these children, not create new ones."

"This grant allowed the Housing Authority to provide targeted community policing to public housing communities and surrounding areas," said King County Sheriff Dave Reichart." As a result people and neighborhoods have become safer. Termination of this funding likely means a stringent reduction in these policing efforts, as we can’t swallow the funding cut: our budget is already under severe pressure."

King County Housing Authority has had measurable success in reducing crime as a result of its drug elimination programs. Crime rates dropped 24 percent at Park Lake Homes in White Center, for example, 35 percent in Kent, 30 percent in Bellevue and 61 percent at King County Housing Authority properties in Auburn.

KCHA administers a range of quality affordable rental and homeownership programs for residents of King County. The Authority serves more than 14,000 households, including families, the elderly and disabled.

List of apartment communities with programs funded through the PHDEP:

Auburn– Firwood Circle, Green River Homes, Burndale Apartments
Bellevue– Hidden Village, Eastside Terrace, College Place
Federal Way– Evergreen Court, Kings Court
Kent– Springwood Apartments, Valli Kee Homes, Cascade Apartments
Shoreline– Ballinger Homes
White Center– Park Lake Homes (Sites I and II)