Venezuela: Chavez Launches New Housing Program

AUGUST 11, 2009.

Cities Tolerate Homeless Camps

By JENNIFER LEVITZ

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Last summer, police responding to complaints about campfires under a highway overpass found dozens of homeless people living on public land along the Cumberland River.

Eviction notices went up -- and then were suspended by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, a Democrat, who said housing for the homeless should be found first.

A year later, little has been found -- and Nashville, with help from local nonprofits, is now servicing a tent city, arranging for portable toilets, trash pickup, a mobile medical van and visits from social workers. Volunteers bring in firewood for the camp's 60 or so dwellers.

Nashville is one of several U.S. cities that these days are accommodating the homeless and their encampments, instead of dispersing them. With local shelters at capacity, "there is no place to put them," said Clifton Harris, director of Nashville's Metropolitan Homeless Commission, says of tent-city dwellers.

In Florida, Hillsborough County plans to consider a proposal Tuesday by Catholic Charities to run an emergency tent city in Tampa for more than 200 people. Dave Rogoff, the county health and services director, said he preferred to see a "hard roof over people's heads." But that takes real money, he said: "We're trying to cut $110 million out of next year's budget."

Ontario, a city of 175,000 residents about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, provides guards and basic city services for a tent city on public land.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124994409537920819.html

Venezuela: Chavez Launches New Housing Program

August 10th 2009, by Kiraz Janicke - Venezuelanalysis.com

Caracas, August 10th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) - With the demolition of 138 shanty homes facing imminent risk of collapse in the Turmerito sector of Caracas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez launched a new housing program called "Barrio Nuevo" or New Neighbourhood during his weekly television program Hello President (Aló Presidente) on Sunday.

Accompanied by Vice President Ramon Carrizalez and Housing and Public Works Minister Diosdado Cabello, Chavez explained that the 138 families (450 people) will be temporarily resettled in apartments in the Fort Tiuna military base while their new houses are built.

The sprawling, chaotic slums that have grown up to surround the Venezuelan capital are "the result of a century of misery and abandonment ," Chavez said.

In the surroundings of Turmerito, "many rich people seized land to build factories, parking lots... they can go elsewhere," said Chavez. "We are going to build housing for the people." The new houses will be painted blue, red and yellow in honour of the Venezuelan flag.

The new program will be incorporated into the Habitat Mission, a housing program "which aims to transform the whole system of life, habitat and shelter for the greater Venezuelan family," Chavez stated. "The Bolivarian Revolution has this commitment: to give the best quality of life to all Venezuelans," he said.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4709