The Bush Department of Housing and Urban Development shafts the homeless and the housing insecure: Proposed cuts to Section 8 housing and other U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development programs could cause a drastic local increase in homelessness, compounding a problem that is growing with a recent loss of jobs and a rising cost of living, public housing advocates say. The initial Bush administration proposal sought to cut Section 8 funding by $1.6 billion, but was shot down in the U.S. House of Representatives. Under the revised proposal, $300 million would be cut from Section 8, with another $1.2 billion cut from other public housing programs, said HUD Regional New England spokeswoman Kristine Foye. Section 8 is an $18 billion rental voucher program mostly serving those making under 30 percent of the median income for their area. Some of the other programs to be slashed included Hope VI, which is funding used to restore public housing, and rental assistance. Foye said HUD's position is that the cuts will not have an adverse effect, since the organization is revamping its system...Under the new "Flexible Voucher Program," local public housing authorities will determine rent payments for those participating in Section 8 and will be able to immediately respond to local market changes. But Alison Cunningham, executive director of Columbus Emergency Shelter of New Haven, disagrees with HUD's assessment of the proposed cuts. "At a time when the number of homeless people is rising, you don't cut funding for (public) housing," she said. "It's going to affect all of us in this business." She said she expected demand for services to increase. Additionally, a program Columbus House is involved with, Sojourner's Place, is funded by HUD and may be in jeopardy. This transitional housing program currently helps 16 women and Cunningham said the proposed cuts would mean that they would have to rely more on private donations.