Politics

G.K. Butterfield Elected to Lead CBC

Published

9 years ago

January 13, 2015

Oakland Post

North Carolina Congressman Has Civil Rights History

Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) (Courtesy photo)

by Stacy M. Brown

Special to the NNPA from The Washington Informer

After his unanimous selection as the next chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, North Carolina Democratic Congressman G.K. Butterfield said he’s grateful to all on the caucus, including outgoing chair Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio).

“I’m moved by the unwavering support the Congressional Black Caucus has shown me throughout the years,” said Butterfield, who will take over as chair later this month.

“Each year they’ve continued to elect me to senior positions within the caucus, solidifying their confidence in me to help steer and now lead the conscience of the Congress as chair. I do not take this endorsement lightly,” he said.

Butterfield, who officials said has a long history of civil rights activism under his belt, previously served eight years in leadership positions within the caucus.

“The new Congress provides a fresh start to address the issues that are important to us all,” said Butterfield, 67.

“Members of the CBC come from every region of the country. While we each have our own priorities, we speak with a singular, powerful voice in our fight to deliver on the expectations of Americans, which is to have a government that works for us all,” he said.

Butterfield said his roots growing up in Wilson, North Carolina, taught him the values of hard work and responsibility. His father, G. K. Butterfield Sr., a respected dentist and elected official, graduated from Meharry Dental College and practiced dentistry for 50 years in the poor and segregated community of East Wilson.

Many of his father’s patients had never received dental services because they were unable to afford care. However, Butterfield did not turn anyone away because of inability to pay. His son said the elder Butterfield considered it his duty to care for the poor and not burden them with expenses they could not afford.

Butterfield said his mother, Addie, loved education.

She taught elementary school for 48 years in some of the poorest communities in North Carolina, and she focused on making sure that all of her students learned to read, a right that had been denied to many blacks in the South.

After graduating from Charles H. Darden High School in Wilson, Butterfield earned a bachelor of arts in political science and sociology from North Carolina Central University, where he helped to organize voter registration drives in Durham.

After the enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Butterfield organized a student march from the state Capitol in Raleigh to the Wilson County Courthouse to dramatize the importance of voter registration.

At the conclusion of the march, he registered to vote for the first time.

Butterfield also received a juris doctor from the NCCU School of Law, and he served in the United States Army from 1968 to 1970.

After completing law school, Butterfield began a career as a civil rights attorney, and his litigation work helped to preserve the ability of several African-American communities to elect candidates of their choice to public office, according to his official biography.

Butterfield won election as resident superior court judge for the First Judicial Division, and for 12 years, he presided over civil and criminal courts in 46 counties throughout North Carolina.

In February 2001, then-Governor Mike Easley appointed Butterfield to the North Carolina Supreme Court.

In 2004, he won election to the House of Representatives, and in 2007 Butterfield snagged an appointment from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn to serve as one of eight chief deputy whips whose responsibilities are to assist in the formulation of Democratic policy and to ensure the passage of legislation by maintaining a high level of communication with party members.

“I am happy to pass the chairman’s gavel to my friend and colleague, Rep. Butterfield,” said Fudge, 62. “He has dedicated his life and career to advancing the priorities of the disenfranchised and overlooked, both in his home state of North Carolina as well as here on the Hill. Rep. Butterfield’s service and leadership, while a member of the CBC, have been critical to a number of key successes for the Caucus. I congratulate him on his election, and I look forward to supporting him in this new capacity as he continues to move our Caucus forward.”

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Related Topics:CBC Congressional Black Caucus G. K. Butterfield G. K. Butterfield CBC marcia fudge

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.