The National Fair Housing Alliance Applauds the Appointment of Pamela Hughes Patenaude as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
April 28, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Aiwuyor | 202-898-1661 | Jaiwuyor@nationalfairhousing.org
The National Fair Housing Alliance Applauds the Appointment of Pamela Hughes Patenaude as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
WASHINGTON, DC – Shanna L. Smith, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, issued the following statement lauding the appointment of Pamela Hughes Patenaude as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“Pamela Hughes Patenaude is eminently qualified to serve as the Deputy Secretary of HUD. Currently, she is the President of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for America’s Families and she previously served as Director of Housing Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission. Mrs. Patenaude was HUD Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development during the George W. Bush administration. With over 25 years of experience in housing, public policy, and community and economic development, Mrs. Patenaude brings to HUD a wealth of knowledge, management skills, and strategic leadership.
Mrs. Patenaude is a person who possesses keen insight and a broad vision for ways to expand equal housing opportunities in America. She knows that America is in a critical housing crisis. The National Fair Housing Alliance and HUD estimate that each year there are over 4 million instances of housing discrimination yet only 28,000 complaints are reported to federal, state and private non-profit fair housing agencies. Moreover, in 2015, an estimated 2.7 million families were evicted from their homes, a reflection of rising rental rates in communities across America. For example, in Washington, D.C., a person with a minimum wage job would have to work 138 hours to cover the rent for the average one-bedroom apartment.
Pamela Patenaude is someone who has not only the desire to make housing opportunities better for all people, she has the skill-set to get the job done. The National Fair Housing Alliance welcomes this announcement from the White House and eagerly looks forward to working with Secretary Ben Carson and Deputy Secretary Pamela Patenaude to make every neighborhood a place full of opportunity.
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The National Fair Housing Alliance (www.nationalfairhousing.org)
Founded in 1988, the National Fair Housing Alliance is a consortium of more than 220 private, non-profit fair housing organizations, state and local civil rights agencies, and individuals from throughout the United States. NFHA is the voice of fair housing and works to eliminate housing discrimination to ensure equal housing opportunity for people through leadership, education, outreach, membership services, public policy initiatives, community development, advocacy, and enforcement.