DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you wanted to know and we have the answer. Affordable housing is the focus of today's "Ask CNN" question, and the answer as well.</s>DAVID MARKEL, NILES, MICHIGAN: Hello, my name is David Markel. I'm from Niles, Michigan. And my question is, what is the nation doing to create more affordable housing?</s>ANDREW CUOMO, SECRETARY, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: Actually, we are in the middle of an affordable housing crisis in this nation. People don't fully appreciate it, but the economy is so strong that it's driving up rents and the value of home ownership all across the country. So we do have a significant problem in affordable housing. President Clinton has been working to address it over the past four years. We've been increasing the subsidies that we give to state and local governments so they can help make a difference in the local communities. And here at HUD, we run programs -- home ownership programs that can help people buy homes. Something called the FHA, Federal Housing Administration, can help you get a mortgage. We've recently reformed the FHA, and we've reduced the cost of getting mortgage insurance. And we've increased the value of the homes that you can buy using the FHA. And those are programs that might be helpful to you. We can be reached on the Internet, www.hud.gov, and see if we can't help you directly.
Ask CNN: What Is The Nation Doing to Create More Affordable Housing?