Thousands in Fort Lauderdale line up for shot at affordable housing

[mia]

Source: The Miami Herald

The hope that drove thousands to sleep outside overnight in Fort Lauderdale to apply for subsidized housing turned to outrage Saturday morning as throngs were sent home empty-handed, even though some applications were still available.

Authorities were stocked with 3,000 housing applications at the Robert P. Kelley building on West Sunrise Boulevard and Northwest Fifth Street. But more than 5,000 arrived hours earlier than expected and began pushing against metal guardrails and police when an announcement came that there were not enough documents to go around....

Thousands of men, women and children in line began jostling for better positions before sunrise. One person was arrested for trespassing, according to Sgt. Frank Sousa, a police spokesman. Three people suffered minor injuries and one pregnant woman, reporting labor pains, was taken to a hospital, said Fort Lauderdale city spokesman Matt Little....

The applications are part of the federal Section 8 subsidy program in which applicants with low incomes spend only 30 percent of their monthly wages on housing. The housing authority pays the remaining rent.








Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/915720.html

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I hope that expansion of the Section 8 subsidy program is part of the stimulus plan.

[Joanne98]

1. 19 million empty houses, but no where to live. That's capitalism!

[JayMusgrove]

2. True Dat! n/t

[PfcHammer]

3. good all the empty forclosed condos should be turned into

free housing. make the speculators
loss, the people's gain.