Read the letter written by organizations of the civil society, academics and citzens of US about PETRA (Preservation, Enhancement and Transition of Rental Assistance Act), a new national housing policy. It is directed to the Housing and Urban Depelopment Secretary, Shaun Donovan. The UN Special Rapportteur on the Right to Adequate Housing signs the document. Secretary Shaun Donovan.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20410

Dear Secretary Donovan,

As local and national organizations working to protect the human right to housing in the United States, we write to express our ongoing and grave concerns regarding the current state of PETRA. At a time when public housing residents are in desperate need of stability and increased public resources, aspects of PETRA threaten the sustainability of these communities.

While we commend your agencys response to the long-standing need to streamline rental assistance programs, we remain concerned that elements of PETRA will set into motion a process of public housing privatization. In particular, project-basing our public housing provides no guarantee that these deeply affordable housing units will remain permanent assets to our communities.