Justice for All’s Anne Sommers relayed this breaking news yesterday evening from the disability rights group ADAPT.
11 Disability Activists Arrested at McCain Headquarters after Staff Refuses to Accept Disability Housing Platform
From Bob Kafka, National Organizer, ADAPT:
Civil Rights done in a different way. 500 ADAPT activists have set up DUH City on the HUD Plaza in DC. WITHOUT A PLACE TO LIVE IT IS HARD TO GET A JOB. Low income people with disabilities are about 15 percent of medium income. ADAPT has developed a housing platform that they want Obama and McCain to endorse.
As I write this ADAPT activists are being arrested in Sen McCain’s office as he refused to accept the platform. Earlier in the day DNC officials accepted the ADAPT Platform.
INCLUSION, INTEGRATION INDEPENDENCE
Community First!The ADAPT Community
www.duhcity.org
From ADAPT:
ADAPT Fights Back re: Nation’s Low Income People with Disabilities Left
Behind in Election Year AgendasWhen: Monday, September 15, 2008
Where: The plaza outside the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410
Why: The 2008 election campaigns have included rhetoric about tax breaks for middle income families, and media coverage has included stories about familes who have children with disabilities. Left out of all the election rhetoric are the candidates’ positions on and commitments to those babies with disabilities who grow into adults with disabilities who all-too-often survive on extremely low incomes (less than 30% of the median income).
These extremely low incomes are often the fixed benefit amounts of SSI and Social Security.In 2006, according to Priced Out in 2006, the federal SSI benefit was $603/month and the average cost nationally of renting a studio/efficiency apartment was $633/month.
There are not enough AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE, INTEGRATED housing units to handle the current demand in communities across America. When the Community Choice Act (S 799, H.R. 1621) passes, and older and disabled people can choose to live in their own homes instead of being forced into nursing homes and other institutions, the need for affordable, accessible housing will increase. And as the baby-boomers continue to age, the demand will grow exponentially.
HUD, Congress and the Administration have broken promises, cut funding for housing stock and housing subsidies and enforcement of anti-discrimination housing laws, and simply ignored the nation’s low-income people with disabilities altogether.
ADAPT has established “DUH City” (reverse of HUD) to bring attention to and document the struggle of low income people with disabilities. When the average rent for even an efficiency apartment is more than your monthly income… where do you wind up? All too often you’re forced out on the street or into a nursing home or other institution. DUH!
ADAPT’s tent city will be a typical community complete with its own newspaper, TV coverage, and other services.
For Information Contact:
Randy Alexander (901) 359-4982
Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504
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I am so embarassed for John McCain for his pathetic campaign attempts using lies and distortion – he is clearly a man that knows he will not win! He lost because he is just not who most Americans want and in his choice in Sarah Palin! Wake up McCain as the real “change” will win and that’s Obama! As much as he tries to discredit him with deceit and lies the more pathetic he looks and he doesn’t even see that! He is rude, condenscending and so out of touch with reality that it has now become a joke – how sad! Bye bye, McCain – and please don’t try to come back again!!!!!