DALLAS, Texas— Today, Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, joined Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson at Jubilee Park and Community Center during the Secretary’s multi-city listening tour of communities and HUD offices.  Today’s tour stop focused on Jubilee Park’s commitment to community-based initiatives aimed at empowering families and individuals through education and ensuring residents in the neighborhood have access to quality, affordable housing.

“Jubilee Park is a shining example of what can happen when local communities, faith-based organizations, and private enterprise partner together to find solutions for lifting people out of poverty,” said Hensarling.  “I have seen firsthand the transformation that has taken place in this neighborhood, and I was honored to have the opportunity to share it with Secretary Carson.”

Jubilee was founded in 1997 in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity, Greater Dallas Community of Churches, Saint Michael, and All Angels Episcopal Church.  Each year, Jubilee staff and volunteers provide housing services and education opportunities for children and adults in the neighborhood.  These community partners and other corporate sponsors have invested their time, money, and talents into making this neighborhood a safe place for families to live, work, and learn. 

“Just 20 years ago, Jubilee was a community where drugs littered the streets, gangs roamed freely, and residents were afraid to leave their homes.  Now, this is a vibrant community, where families are given the resources they need to lift themselves out of poverty,” said Hensarling.  “This is all possible, not because of Washington mandates, but because of out-of-the-box thinking by community organizations, churches, civic groups, and corporations who came together to improve the lives of their neighbors.  It is this kind of community-based innovation that is key to reforming HUD and providing assistance for housing in the 21st Century.”

In the 115th Congress, the Financial Services Committee will seek to reform how the federal government provides housing assistance in the 21st Century with innovative solutions that do more than simply perpetuate programs that ultimately marginalize poor families and communities. Together with Speaker Ryan, as a part of the House’s Better Way agenda, the Committee’s goal is to propose better, fairer government reforms to get people out of poverty—including helping beneficiaries move toward jobs and independence; reforming the housing voucher assistance program to make vouchers more flexible and portable in order to allow participants the ability to move to areas with better employment, housing, and educational prospects; and reforming the Public Housing Authority System to root out inefficiencies and outmoded programs that often hurt those families most in need of assistance.