The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, March 24, 1995                 TAG: 9503240431
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                            LENGTH: Medium:   78 lines

COLLINS SEES HOPE FOR BETTER PUBLIC HOUSING

City Councilman Herbert M. Collins Sr., an outspoken critic of public housing, gave assurances Thursday that public housing is still needed in Norfolk, but he left room for changing its form.

``Like anything, after four decades, it needs revisiting, and reshaping and remodeling,'' Collins said as he convened the first meeting of the city's 37-member task force on the future of public housing.

Collins, who is co-chairman of the task force, angered many public-housing residents last fall with remarks that some saw as blaming public-housing tenants for the social, educational and crime problems in their neighborhoods.

On Thursday, Collins seemed conciliatory, saying ``Our brothers and sisters who live in public housing certainly need some support and some attention. They've been long neglected.''

He acknowledged that the task force's eventual recommendations will need the support of public housing residents to be implemented successfully.

``We have to earn their confidence and respect. If they don't understand and buy into what we're doing, it won't work,'' he said.

The task force, created by the City Council on Tuesday, is scheduled to issue its recommendations by year's end.

On the recommendation of Rev. Anthony Paige, a task-force member and a planning commissioner, the group agreed to create a subcommittee on economic opportunity and upward mobility.

`The bottom line is jobs,'' Paige said. ``How do we raise the economic level of residents? I don't want that to get lost.''

Last September, Paige helped heighten City Hall interest in public-housing issues. He prompted the planning commission to ask the City Council to study the concerns.

``I am very proud that the city is responding,'' Paige said. ``Public housing has worked and has been a part of the solution in the changing of Norfolk. We're now at another level. . . But no one in public housing should be scared. The city is still deeply committed to providing decent and affordable housing.''

There also will be subcommittees on governmental legislation and regulations, as well as subcommittees on: demographics; education; substance abuse and ways to change personal values; physical design of public housing, and such programs as health care.

Public-housing tenant leaders who attended seemed pleased with the general tone of the task force. The panel includes five residents.

``This gives us the opportunity to come together and work out solutions. . Tenant Management Corp., which represents residents of that neighborhood.

While task-force members warmed to working with each other, their upbeat mood was clouded by uncertainty over the future of federal funding.

This month, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives voted to take back billions of dollars in already budgeted public-housing subsidies. Senate approval of that action would slash $3.9 million from Norfolk's $11 million allocation this year.

G. William Whitehurst, a former congressman and a task-force member, joined Norfolk officials in voicing frustration about the cuts.

Whitehurst, a Republican, said he hoped the Senate would modify them to soften the blow to public housing. He agreed that the issue seemed to be caught in a political battle between Democrats and Republicans over which party could cut federal budgets first and deepest.

``What are you going to do to the people? Where are they going to go?'' Whitehurst said. ``I think that for the foreseeable future, it's going to be needed.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by LAWRENCE JACKSON, Staff

Wes Swindell listens to David Rice, executive director of the

Norfolk Redevelopment Housing Authority, in the first meeting of a

task force on public housing. Funding is caught in the heat of a

political battle; Norfolk could lose $3.9 million of its $11

million, if a GOP plan goes through.

KEYWORDS: NORFOLK CITY COUNCIL TASK FORCE ON PUBLIC HOUSING by CNB