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The Legislature declares and finds:

(a) The Declaration of Housing Policy contained in the Housing Act of 1949 (P.L. 171, 81st Cong. 1st Sess.), as amended, and its goals of a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family expresses the sense of this Legislature and its concern with the public welfare and the economic health of our Nation and of Guam.

(b) There exist in Guam slum and blighted areas, as well as substandard and inadequate housing conditions and a serious shortage of safe, sanitary and decent dwelling accommodations at rentals or prices which families of low income can afford to pay.

(c) These slum and blight conditions, and the continuing shortage of decent housing for low-income families present problems of immediate and long-range governmental concern including low and falling property values; a constant threat of growth, choking off the orderly improvement and development of communities; the loss of property tax revenues; failure of community responsibility to itself and to its citizens; continued crowding of low-income families into unsafe, unsanitary, unhealthy dwellings and slum pockets; and continued excessive expenditures for health protection and fire and crime control.

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12 Guam Code Ann. AUTONOMOUS AGENCIES
CH. 5 GUAM HOUSING AND URBAN RENEWAL AUTHORITY

(d) That certain slum or blighted areas or portions thereof, may require acquisition, clearance and disposition subject to use restrictions, as provided in this Chapter, since the prevailing condition of decay may make impracticable the reclamation of the areas by conservation or rehabilitation; that other areas or portions thereof may, through the means provided in this Chapter, be susceptible of conservation or rehabilitation in such a manner that the conditions and evils hereinbefore enumerated may be eliminated, remedied or prevented; and that to the extent feasible salvable slum and blighted areas can be conserved and rehabilitated through appropriate public action and the cooperation and voluntary action of the owners and tenants of property in such areas.

(e) These problems must be attacked by prompt and vigorous action in the interests of public safety, health and welfare.

(f) The elimination and prevention of slums and blighted areas, the planning, undertaking and carrying out of urban renewal projects and the provision of safe, sanitary and decent housing for low- income families in Guam, and during periods of acute need for disaster victims and persons engaged in national defense activities, constitute public uses and public purposes, not competitive with private enterprise, are proper governmental functions, devoted to the health, welfare and safety of the people of Guam, and that the powers conferred by this Chapter are for public uses and purposes for which public money may be expended and private property may be acquired, by eminent domain or otherwise.

(g) Guam joins in the national policy to promote the health, safety and welfare of its people by the elimination of slum and blight conditions, by the orderly redevelopment and renewal of communities, by proper planning of community development and by provision of safe, decent and sanitary dwellings for low-income families, through all available federal and local governmental programs and through encouragement of private enterprise to participate in the common task of community improvement.

SOURCE: GC §13900.