Housing advocates are wondering if Mel Martinez had a conversion on the road to the Capitol. His record as HUD secretary merited failing grades on affordable-housing production and homelessness. Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, however, the Florida Republican has started to see the light on housing policies aimed at helping the poor. And this spring, he joined Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland to sponsor a bill reauthorizing the HOPE VI public-housing program with $600 million in funding for each of the next five years.
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