Prepared Remarks for Steve Preston Secretary of Housing and Urban Development at the Vista Del Sol Groundbreaking

Redlands, California
Friday, August 15, 2008

Thank you. There is a tremendous need for affordable housing in America, especially in California. And among the population in need of affordable housing, we must not forget the elderly. These are people who have reached retirement age and need low-cost housing to make it on their pensions, small savings, or social security. With growing numbers of people over 65, we must not only meet the rising need for affordable housing now, but plan for future needs and get ahead of the demographic curve.

That is why this groundbreaking is important. We need this facility. The City needs this facility. It will be a part of the future of Redlands. And this is a place that we can be proud of, because it honors and cares for older Americans who have been members of our family, our neighbors, or our colleagues at work.

After a lifetime of work and service, low-income senior citizens deserve some security in the golden years. Many of the seniors who will live at Vista Del Sol have helped build this community and the State of California. Many of them came here when movies were in black and white, and the orange groves extended to the horizon. Some of them were here before Interstate 10 cut through the community to link the coast with the suburban communities. Through their hard work and commitment to this state, they helped bring new prosperity and growth, turning California itself into an economic powerhouse. The people who will live here raised families in Southern California, children and grandchildren who now are themselves contributing to California and the nation. The people who will live here have been teachers, firemen, police officers, nurses, and office assistants. They have been part of the history here. And they have made a good life possible for the citizens of Redlands. With Vista del Sol, elderly people in the community will have the ability to spend their lives among family, friends, and the community the helped build.

So, I want to thank Congressman Jerry Lewis for his support of this project. I also want to thank Assistant Secretary Susan Peppler, your former mayor, who encouraged the development of this project during her tenure. I also must thank the many local and state officials who have shepherd this project through all of the regulatory hearings and planning meetings. Your steadfast commitment to this project has turned a dream into plan, which now is moving forward with this groundbreaking, and in turn heralds construction and a ribbon-cutting ceremony that will open the doors of Vista del Sol to the first residents.

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