WHEREAS, The special needs of our senior citizens often require them to live in housing units specifically designed and built to address these particular needs. In recent years, however, senior housing units have increasingly been utilized by non-elderly residents; and

WHEREAS, Housing constructed for the elderly should be only for the elderly. Alternate accommodations should be utilized to assist non-elderly citizens in need of special care and treatment. It is patently unfair to burden some of our most vulnerable citizens with neighbors suffering from such afflictions as alcohol and substance abuse, or who are mentally and/or physically disadvantaged. These special needs citizens should be provided with living facilities tailored to their specific requirements and not warehoused in places that were never designed for them; and

WHEREAS, National housing policy currently allows the mixing of elderly and disabled populations in public housing. In 1988, the definition of disabled was extended to include former drug and alcohol abusers; and

WHEREAS, Legislation recently enacted by the Congress would bar drug and alcohol abusers from living in public housing reserved for senior citizens; and

WHEREAS, This bill, currently awaiting the President's consideration, would give public housing authorities more power to designate complexes as only for the elderly, and would also speed up the process of evicting drug and alcohol abusers. It is good, fair legislation that should become law; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby memorializes the President of the United States to sign into law legislation introduced by Congressman Peter Blute, and passed by the Congress, which would keep drug and alcohol abusers from living in public housing reserved for the elderly; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to President Bill Clinton.