Stories News

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge delivered a sermon at the St. James United Methodist Church in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on January 14, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-5), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, part of the Financial Services Committee within the U.S. House of Representatives invited HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. Marcia L. Fudge’s sermon brought to light Dr. King’s measures of a full life as referenced in his “Three Dimensions of a Complete Life” in 1960 at the Unitarian Church of Germantown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. King recalled in that talk that life consists of three measures that include length, breadth, and height. Keeping in mind the backdrop of the political tumult and the challenges the nation and world face today, Secretary Fudge chose to speak about the length of life, not longevity. Fudge urged everyone that while considering life’s length, one should never lose hope, do whatever can be done to help others, love neighbors, and remember that everyone is called to a higher purpose and to answer and embrace that call when that time comes.

Secretary Marcia L. Fudge also took part in an afternoon radio interview with Steve Kraske after transitioning from the morning services and braving sub-zero weather. Steve Kraske is the host of the public affairs show Up To Date, telecasted daily on local National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate KCUR 89.3 FM. She also threw light on the Biden-Harris administration’s priorities on increasing wealth, the supply of affordable housing, combatting homelessness, and breaking the barriers to homeownership. She also addressed the questions related to the Sources of Income discrimination aimed at households who use public assistance programs such as housing choice vouchers to afford stable and safe housing. She also applauded Kansas City and said it is on the right track as the city’s elected leaders are working on an ordinance to make such discrimination illegal.

After this interview, the secretary joined the leaders in a roundtable discussion. The leaders that took part in the roundtable discussion include Rep. Cleaver; HUD Great Plains Regional Administrator Ulysses Clayborn, Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Director Joseph Palm, Missouri State Director of Rural Development Kyle Wilkens, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Missouri State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Joe Aull, Kansas City 3rd District-At-Large Councilwoman Melissa Patterson Hazley and Kansas City 3rd District Councilwoman Melissa Robinson.

The main focus of the Secretary’s discussion was on enhancing collaboration among federal agencies, especially between HUD, HHS, and the EPA, to address economic justice, health threats from lead hazards, and climate resiliency across the nation. The Secretary revealed HUD’s commitment to serve both rural and urban areas and urged regional leadership to engage directly with the communities to understand their needs.

Additional topics covered by Fudge include the necessity for local government officials to be more aware of available federal funding for housing and community development, the importance of empowering communities of color to lead their own redevelopment, simplifying federal funding administrative requirements to facilitate the use of private funding, and prioritizing equity in addressing these issues.

In the end, the closing remarks were made by Rep. Cleaver and there was a renewed sense of partnership and faith in the federal government’s power to improve people’s lives through the elected, appointed, and civic leaders.