Moving to Boston on Section 8- Housing choice voucher

[squirrel12356]

It is true disability SSD/SSI, takes AT LEAST 6 months to get and for most people they are denied the first several times they apply so they really have to be unable to make a significant income for several years at least before they get on it (unless institutionalized or severe going to die soon type thing) In my case I was born with a disability and had special services growing up all throughout my life was institutionalized on numerous occasions as a child and adult and have a lifelong disability that limits the amount I can work. This has always been the case, it is not a case of being lazy or anything of the sort as I am an extremely hard working and determined individual.

As for housing discrimination, even though it is illegal to discriminate against section 8 applicants many owners still do and there isn't a lot I can do about it since they claim I don't meet their other criteria of having enough income etc...and THAT is technically legal. It's a loophole. I will continue to look and just hope that I'm not going to be homeless again. From the looks of it the situation in Boston looks much better than Seattle in terms of housing at least so that is good. Thanks for all of you who provided helpful advice. I appreciate it!

[6thSense]

Originally Posted by squirrel12356

It is true disability SSD/SSI, takes AT LEAST 6 months to get and for most people they are denied the first several times they apply so they really have to be unable to make a significant income for several years at least before they get on it (unless institutionalized or severe going to die soon type thing) In my case I was born with a disability and had special services growing up all throughout my life was institutionalized on numerous occasions as a child and adult and have a lifelong disability that limits the amount I can work. This has always been the case, it is not a case of being lazy or anything of the sort as I am an extremely hard working and determined individual.

As for housing discrimination, even though it is illegal to discriminate against section 8 applicants many owners still do and there isn't a lot I can do about it since they claim I don't meet their other criteria of having enough income etc...and THAT is technically legal. It's a loophole. I will continue to look and just hope that I'm not going to be homeless again. From the looks of it the situation in Boston looks much better than Seattle in terms of housing at least so that is good. Thanks for all of you who provided helpful advice. I appreciate it!

In terms of Housing Boston isn't the greatest. Landlords are usually ignorant and possibly brought up this way. Violence in the city is there and it scatters, it's a gritty city to say the least. The city has become extremely racist/prejudice as a whole migration from the south has increased. Boston is a shadow of what it once was.

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by 6thSense

In terms of Housing Boston isn't the greatest. Landlords are usually ignorant and possibly brought up this way. Violence in the city is there and it scatters, it's a gritty city to say the least. The city has become extremely racist/prejudice as a whole migration from the south has increased. Boston is a shadow of what it once was.

I think you described Boston in the 1970s. Boston has improved enormously since then and has low crime rates compared to other large American cities. If you think Boston is gritty I invite you to visit New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta. All are gritter than Boston. I also believe that racism isn't worse here than it is anywhere else. Also this thread is from four years ago, the OP has probably already made their decision.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by squirrel12356

It is true disability SSD/SSI, takes AT LEAST 6 months to get and for most people they are denied the first several times they apply so they really have to be unable to make a significant income for several years at least before they get on it

Yes, having known a couple of people that, sadly, had to go through the process, they were advised by their lawyers that it will take several years. One I know got approved after two denials (apparently the first is automatic), the other is still trying to appeal, again. And yes, their finances are horrible.

[Robert5]

Originally Posted by gibroni

it is illegal in MA to be discriminated against because you have section 8. Read this:
Facing Discrimination - MassLegalHelp

Your link does in fact say that it is illegal to discriminate against prospective section 8 tenants. But the truth is there are legal reasons to not wanting to rent to Section 8 tenants, the most common being that Section 8 requires a rigid 12 month lease, which often does not work for the landlord, or the section 8 tenant can not move in for 4+ weeks, but the landlord wants to rent the unit immediately. The website is written that way because the group that runs the website, masslegalhelp.org (not a local, state or federal housing authority) is made up of a bunch of social justice warriors that get a sense of empowerment by bullying and intimidating people.

That said, as a landlord, I will never tell someone that calls about a rental that I do not rent to Section 8, even if I know for certain my lease terms will not be agreeable to HUD. I will just ask them if they are interested in seeing the property and tell them when I am showing the home. But said Section 8 people rarely show up for a viewing, most likely because they got lost or because they do not have any respect for the value of the time of others.

eta: sorry, did not see this was a thread started in 2012, WTH?

[Partial Observer]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Yes, having known a couple of people that, sadly, had to go through the process, they were advised by their lawyers that it will take several years. One I know got approved after two denials (apparently the first is automatic), the other is still trying to appeal, again. And yes, their finances are horrible.

Initial social security disability applications are not automatically denied. In FY2015, 33% of applications were approved at the initial level, without the need for an appeal. Of the 67% who were denied and requested reconsideration, another 12% were approved.

It does take a long time to get a hearing before an administrative law judge if you are denied at the initial and reconsideration levels. Unfortunately, that's a function of the sheer volume of cases and the failure of claimants and their representatives to obtain medical records supporting their claims.

[eevee]

People, this thread is from 2011. Someone decided it would be a good idea to resurrect a 4.5 year old thread to spout off some tired "Boston is so racist" bs rhetoric. Moving along now...

[mdovell]

Hmmm. There is no specific law in the USA that a landlord must take section eight. There is no such law in Massachusetts and I kinda doubt Boston. There is in say Illinois and Chicago I believe.

Now once a landlord accepts section 8 then they can't discriminate. It's not a form of discrimination to deny section eight tenants. Why not? Because if section eight does not go up but the rents do then who pays specifically?

Market rate generally works because as inflation creeps in they can pass the costs down to those living there. With section 8 the flexibility is limited. Let's say rent is $900 a month and a section 8 pays that $900. Ok fine but next year it goes up 2% to $918 a month. That extra $216 a year for some reason the person cannot afford so then what?

Adding into this section 8 limits people to a certain range. Boston has a residency requirement. Let's say someone is making 50K. Well they can't get into section 8 because they make too much. Don't believe me? Here's the individual requirements
http://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il14/ma.pdf As you can see if you make more than $47,500 you cannot have a place as a individual. This encourages more people per unit which of course brings up fire code issues.

Certainly

The same reason why rent controls do not work. No on wants to enter a market where rents cannot go up as it is a price control. So scarcity doesn't drive up prices but simply lack of access. Then renters sublet apartments to capitalize on this and creates a slippery slow to again more fire hazards. Renters cannot find other places because there's no new units and land lords have no incentives to do general upkeep because of inflation.


Now once you do accept then it opens up a can of worms. It's just like not all vendors have to accept EBT cards. I grocery shop at aldi and if the card system is down then it's down for debit cards and ebt alike. Then it just goes to cash only.

The other issue sometimes in these situations is that disabled is now a more general term. When it was the blind and elderly in wheelchairs that was one thing. But drug addicts then changed the concept.

[MrLinderman]

Originally Posted by gibroni

it is illegal in MA to be discriminated against because you have section 8. Read this:
Facing Discrimination - MassLegalHelp

If you are discrimianted against, contact
Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston
59 Temple Place, Suite 1105
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 399-0491 (tel:%28617%29%20399-0491%20x%20103 - broken link)

They will help you with records and file a complaint with MCAD for you, free of charge. Keep records of everythins, write down convesations with owners/RE agents right after they happened, thake a fried with you a showings to have witnesses if a discrimination occurs.

Stand up for your rights. You might be entitled to compenstation if discrimination occurs.

"But a landlord may choose not to rent to someone with a Section 8 because the housing agency will not pay the requested rental amount. This is probably not discrimination, even though it seems unfair. In selecting a tenant, a landlord can also look at whether you have the ability to pay your portion of the rent. This is not discrimination either."


This will be 99.99999% of cases with regards to people refusing section 8.

[BostonItalian]

I do wish you the best of luck in finding an apartment. I do not, however understand how you are coming to Boston from another state and already have a section 8 voucher. I hope you plan on working if you can with your disability and not living off the state.

I think section 8 vouchers should be given to CURRENT Mass residents, not people who want to move here from out of state. Not judging, just my opinion.