NY Times: An Assault on Housing Vouchers

[La_Serpiente]

An Assault on Housing Vouchers

The Bush administration, which created a record budget deficit partly through tax cuts for the rich, is threatening to make up some of the difference by cutting desperately needed programs aimed at the poor. One candidate for the chopping block is Section 8, the federal rent-subsidy program whose main purpose is preventing low-income families from becoming homeless.

The Section 8 voucher program subsidizes families who rent apartments in the private market. The renters, most of whom live at or below the poverty level, pay 30 percent of their incomes toward rent, and the voucher covers the remainder.

At the moment, the program covers about 2.1 million households. Most of these families include minor children; 40 percent include elderly or disabled people. Section 8 came about during the 1970's, when the government began to move from housing needy people in publicly owned developments to housing them in private housing, through rent vouchers and construction subsidies. The most recent data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, based in Washington, shows that the average rent on a two-bedroom apartment has risen by 37 percent since 1999. The yearly cost of the voucher program has reached $14 billion - and will grow as long as housing costs continue to rise faster than incomes.

Like health care, housing has become a necessity priced out of the reach of many families, particularly the working poor. It is understandable that the government should look at the cost of housing programs with concern. But the one unacceptable option is simply to decide to let people fend for themselves.

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An Assault on Housing Vouchers

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[lcordero]

1. If you take a really good look at this

This is an attack on minorities in order to force them out of the city. It will result in their voting strength being further diluted.

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. Section 8 is only available for about 1 in 20 who need it

And while it means the difference between being on the street or indoors for that 1 in 20 (and rapidly rising), it is essentially a token program that in no way addresses the issue of the millions that are priced out of the housing market daily.

While it is more expensive for the taxpayer, from the standpoint of business it is more profitable to subsume the dispossessed into the justice system as soon as possible, where they will make a significant contribution to the economy by helping to keep America's prison industry strong and growing.

[MountainLaurel]

4. The Flip Side

That we're seeing in DC is that even those who manage to get Section 8 vouchers can't find housing because so many landlords are dropping out of the program. Why do a moral thing and still get paid at a good rate by the government when you can gouge the hell out of everyday consumers?

[DuctapeFatwa]

5. Excellent point! Thanks for correcting my omission

That problem is not confined to DC, I read somewhere over a year ago that landlord participation is down something like 90% of what it was.

So my figure of 1 in 20 getting vouchers probably translates to an even more horrificly small fraction of eligible getting the housing, and as with any US Social Program-like product, eligibility is invariably a small fraction of need.

[acmavm]

3. When you take away all the civil rights of a nation, when you reduce

them to paupers, when you oppress them in order to benefit an 'elitist' class, when you make it impossible for the populace to get and education, when they are hungry, and when they are homeless, you create a nation of people with absolutely nothing to lose. That's a real problem. And if the people of that nation have had the taste of freedom, oppression will only backfire in the face of the ruling elite. Bush* is going to push the people of this country tooooo far. He's already on the border line. If he keeps up this way, he and his thug buddies will have be build 'safe' compounds for themselves because we, as a nation are NOT cowards. Read about the coal wars in the 19th century. Read about the depression. We are a nation built on rebellion. Don't think it can't happen again. I am truly afraid for my country. Especially when the news about something like this gets out:

Report: Bush Plans New $50B Iraq Spending Request After the Election
http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df01202004.html

<snip>
President Bush and his aides have spent the last year and a half telling the American people that the war in Iraq would cost little. A new report by Defense News, however, says the president will propose another $50 billion, in addition to the $166 billion already spent.1,2 According to the non-partisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the request "won't come until after the Nov. 2 presidential election" - effectively concealing the spending request from public scrutiny.

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The poor in this country may become the next group of 'insurgents' that you will be reading about.