Essay on Housing Vouchers: More Than a Housing Solution

The most successful, long term, low-income housing projects are those that use sustainable design and address the social, cultural, and economic needs of residents. Traditionally built low-income housing projects are associated with high crime rates and high mortality rates among the residents who live in them. They do not provide for the needs of residents, resulting in many of the problems these low-income housing projects face today. These problems range from endangerment of human life, psychological afflictions due to the high stresses that are endured by residents, disease epidemics caused by overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions (in combination with a substandard public

One of the causes of homelessness in Baltimore City is lack of affordable housing, this includes subsidized housing from the state. Lack of affordable housing in Baltimore City is due to an increase luxury housing and Baltimore’s decrease desire for rental housing (Mayor’s Office of Human Services, 2013). Available housing is not proportional to the wages of people living in Baltimore City. Nearly half of renters in Baltimore spend 35% of their income or more on their rent. The waiting list for Baltimore City opened in 2014 and 74,000 households applied for 25,000 available slots for up to six years to own a voucher (“Homelessness in Baltimore,” 2017). For the extremely poor population there are only 42 available homes for over 100 people who identify with the population (Public Justice Center, 2015). Therefore, Baltimore needs to make affordable housing for their population or there should be an increase in jobs and wages. However, the private sector is not interested in developing houses for the low-income population because it is not profitable compared to selling a building to a company to make luxury housing (Richman, 2015).

This all seems great, a savior program that allows people who cannot afford to pay rent normally. Section 8 is utilized by the elderly, disabled, and families with and without children but is it really a golden program? Stated above, section 8 provides for vouchers for all types of apartments and even condos in certain states; however, are these opportunities open to all races? 41.6 percent of African Americans are on housing assistance programs, as in this county’s displaced history on minorities, the voucher program produces elements that affect minorities. Although African Americans make up the overall higher percentage when it comes to housing assistance programs, according to National Low-Income Housing Coalition, surprisingly Caucasians make up 49 percent of the project-based section 8. Yet, National Low-Income Housing Coalition mentions that African Americans as of 2010 shows that black and Hispanic public housing residents are four times more likely than their Caucasian counterparts public housing residents to live in high-poverty neighborhoods. Black and Hispanic voucher recipients are about three times as likely as their white counterparts to live in high-poverty neighborhoods. Analyzing this data; furthermore, as of 2010, 28 percent of white voucher recipients live in the lowest poverty neighborhoods! Reviewing this data Caucasians obtains overall nationwide more voucher approvals that African Americans living in the highest of poverty neighborhoods and that comes

The educational gap between low-income children and the average American presents a serious problem that has only been perpetuated through government-funded public housing projects. Indeed, this divide eventually translates to a disparity of college acceptance rates and job placement rates. Thus, the academic success of children from low-income families directly threatens their upward mobility. A continued shift toward increased tenant-based housing would give families the opportunity to move out of their economically segregated neighborhoods and choose the neighborhood that best meets their children’s needs. Indeed, despite the Housing Choice voucher program’s current flaws, in each of the case studies, the housing choice vouchers have resulted

The utilization of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit or LIHTC has had an overall positive effect on housing for low-income families in the United States. Four key outcomes of the LIHTC are: First, there is less likelihood of segregation within the tax-credit housing than in the government provided section 8 and government-subsidized voucher programs (Schwartz, p. 115). Second, the purpose of the program, which was to subsidize mixed income housing to low and working class families, is provisionally being met (Khadduri, Buron, & Lam, p. 10). Third, through decentralization of the implementation of the LIHTC program the federal government allowed the state governments more latitude in the dissemination of the tax credits to appropriate developers (Furman Center, p. 2). Finally, there is a correlation between the areas where LIHTC housing properties are developed in the impact on the sounding region. This correlation is both positive and negative in nature, but heavily is judged on the region that the LIHTC is built in and as to whether it is in an urban center, suburb, or in the metro areas (Deng, pp. 46-48). These four outcomes will guide the body of this paper about the overarching theme of LIHTC as a policy tool as opposed to section 8 housing or government provided housing.

In order to help meet housing needs for struggling families, the United States Government, through the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides benefits to help those families pay rent and support their own homes through the Section 8 Housing Subsidy Program. Carlson, Haveman, Kaplan, and Wolfe (2011) found that an estimated 5.2 million Americans rely on the housing vouchers, and the vouchers help “very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market” (p. 233). The family or individual is able to lease a rental home with the help of the voucher and the voucher amount depends on the family’s income.

Most people who have housings are familiar with Section 8, but not many people actually know what it is. “‘Section 8’ is a common name for the Housing Choice Voucher Program that is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.”(WIS8). The Section 8 program lets landlords rent out apartments

ICM accompanied Mr. Tomey to the 811 housing voucher session located at the municipal services building. ICM assisted Mr. Tomey with completing the housing choice voucher program application. During the housing voucher session Mr. Tomey received contact information for his Tenet Service Coordinator; ICM encouraged Mr. Tomey to save the TSC's contact information in his telephone. ICM explained the role of the TSC to Mr. Tomey and encouraged him to contact TSC regarding issue related to his housing such as problems with the landlord or any rent related issues. Mr. Tomey was informed by staff at the voucher session that in order to process his housing voucher application he would need an up to date copy of his income. ICM accompanied Mr. Tomey

Good Evening Team, I wanted to follow-up with everyone so that we all can be on the same page. Today a Housing Choice Voucher Application was returned to me requesting that I have the Veteran re-sign documents that were previously signed . After talking with several HUD-VASH case managers it was determined that the same outdated forms were in all packets that were distributed to our program. I later talked with Ms. Cox the Housing Choice Voucher Specialist, and it was confirmed that the Citizenship Form in the current packets were outdated. With that in mind a request has been made that new packets be given to HUD-VASH to ensure that the housing process continue to flow without any further delays. Thank you Ms. Cox for your time to this

I chose to focus on the rent voucher/section 8 housing, because it is very common in my town and the surrounding towns I grew up in. Section 8 housing was created to help those who could afford housing, particularly for those who are low-income. Voucher housing better known as section 8 housing “allows low-income people to live in a private-market housing unit, the landlord, who is in a contract with the government, is not allowed to take anymore than 30% of your income for rent” (Palen, 255). “In 2000, there were more than 1.4 million families that lived in section 8 housing, but many families could not find apartments that they could afford to qualify, because their income was to high” (Palen, 255). Because of the lack of section 8 apartments “the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has increased the amount of apartments open to receive section 8 housing” (Palen, 255). Although section 8 housing is very popular for developers and business people, “many section 8 housing apartments have had many tough times because of dishonest officials” (Palen, 255). The “construction of new low-income housing has seen its share of failures in the past”, which is why rent vouchers tend to be more common rather than building a whole low-income housing unit that could

The United States has legislation that states, housing rights are available for every citizen, but there are a lot of Americans living in hazardous conditions or homelessness. All citizens have the right to housing, but this housing must be accessible to all American’s, affordable, and meets all safety-regulations. Neighborhoods that are considered bad or considered unsafe are entitled to safe housing and properly constructed town infrastructure just like neighborhoods in the suburbs. Each American should have affordable housing, to prevent stress from lower class citizens. This piece of legislations should be passed, because these ideas being brought forward are more than suggestions, it is the law.

Housing projects towards the latter half of the 20th century had developed an extremely negative reputation, both in reality and in media and government reports. Although previous policy may have functionally answered some of the basic problems of housing development needs, it was not comprehensive or an entirely effective response. The issues associated with the application of this act were quite apparent in the 1990s, setting the stage for analysis and reform. Congress established the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing in 1989, and this became the first stage of the development of Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, referred to in its current version as HOPE VI. The key stakeholders involved in the development of this policy were the many individuals living in public housing, state and local housing agencies, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tasked with addressing a massive and nationwide problem, HOPE VI was designed to expand the government’s role in housing and community development. One of the most critical elements to be addressed was that of mobility. With plenty of data to back up the challenges faced by long-standing residents of extremely poor and very violent neighborhoods who could not move elsewhere due to lack of affordable housing, HOPE VI provided funds to give individuals in blighted areas more mobility.

The main goal in vouchers program was to give new thrust and assist poor families to leave in a ghetto neighborhood and overcoming the prevailing patterns of racial segregation to more diverse community. Mobility programs have had to focus significant attention on overcoming the barriers that keep minority families out of more affluent, less segregated areas. The aim was to get higher opportunity in terms of socioeconomic.

In addition to poverty deconcentration, mixed-income housing developments have been found effective in “lowering crime improving economic indicators, and producing quality housing for market-rate and subsidized tenants” (Fraser & Nelson, 2008). Mixed-income developments also provide lower-income tenants with advantages, or capabilities, that did not exist before in the form of affordable housing opportunities in quality structures (Smith, 2002, p.37). As high-income and low-income tenants mix, the concentration of poverty in one community is disrupted, thus giving more opportunity and capabilities to the poor.

Ruth, housing for low-income families plays a major part in the government subsidies such as Section 8. This particular program is not provided to everyone nor is it available in every city but only in marginal areas for fair market units with the landlord approvals. In addition, every approved applicant have to pay at least 30% of their annual income. Deverteuil, G. (2005). The section * program is one of many government subsidies that is funded by the taxpayer dollars. The spillover regarding this program is not only focused on devaluing the area but that some taxpayers may feel that they are being forced to take care of a family that may have the possibility to live in their neighborhoods while their paying regular mortgage. However providing