Affordable Housing Advocate Retires From Congress by Lew Sichelman Rep. Bruce Vento, D-Minn., is the latest recipient of the Carl A.S. Coan Sr. Award in honor of his contribution to affordable housing. The 12-term legislator from St. Paul is retiring from Congress because of health related reasons. But during his tenure on Capital Hill, he has been a tireless leader in the battle for programs and resources aimed at addressing the nation's affordable housing issues. Rep. Vento was a driving force behind the McKinney Act of 1987, which targeted funds to the needs of homeless families and individuals. He also championed legislation covering a wide array of other housing programs, from FHA insurance to those aimed at improving the lot of often forgotten rural families. The popular lawmaker is currently a primary sponsor of legislation to authorize matching grants that may be used by non-profit housing providers to ensure the preservation of existing affordable housing in their communities. But Rep. Vento thinks a lot more needs to be done. "The national government and others are not plowing the types of dollars that are necessary into housing, and unfortunately, the consequences of that are starting to come home to roost," he said. "It should be one of our highest ideals as a society to fulfill the promise of this nation in terms of providing dignity to the individual; to provide the opportunity and the tools so they can meet their basic housing needs." Former St. Paul Mayor George Lattimer says he never met anyone who has been as "strong and as consistent a player over the long haul" as Vento. "I never wondered while I was Mayor, or before or after, what Bruce was going to do. If he cast a vote that I had a question about, I knew it was because I had not yet studied the issue nearly as carefully as he did." Lattimer said. The award was made by the National Housing Conference, a coalition of affordable housing experts from the public and private sectors. Previous winners include Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., and Hubert Hunphrey, the former Minnesota senator who ran for president. | 
