When people from the housing projects got /get moved out (Chicago: rent, crime rates)

[ajolotl]

wow, what a great country. Does this ever expire, or do taxpayers pay your rent ad infinitum? I'm also guessing you don't have to contribute anything to get the subsidy? Where I'm from if you're broke you live with your aunt until you can find some money.

Originally Posted by BRU67

Most get what is called a "Section 8 Voucher" or "Housing Choice Voucher." These vouchers are good at any private apartment which will accept them. The tenant pays 30% of his/her income towards the rent and HUD will pay the rest up to a "Fair Market Value" amount. That's something like $700 for a studio up to $1,250 for a 4 bedroom in this area. The holder can get a more expensive apartment, but he must pay any excess over the FMV, in addition to 30% of income.

As to where they go, the largest suburban concentration is in the south suburbs. Calumet City, Harvey, Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, Dolton, Markham, Matteson, Hazelcrest, and Lansing all have relatively high numbers of vouchers relative to their population sizes. Evanston and Oak Park, believe it or not, also have quite a few (though that has been true historically). The majority of them simply end up in other parts of the City though. Many critics of the CHA's recent policies attribute much of the violence we've been seeing lately in Chicago to this, though the evidence for that has been largely anecdotal at this point.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ajolotl

wow, what a great country. Does this ever expire, or do taxpayers pay your rent ad infinitum? I'm also guessing you don't have to contribute anything to get the subsidy? Where I'm from if you're broke you live with your aunt until you can find some money.

I saw a news story recently about a displaced family; the woman said she'd lived in her CHA complex for 41 years. All I could think to myself it "Good God, you mean in 41 years you couldn't get your s*#t together enough to get off the public teat?"

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by heyjude1959

thanks much for the answers

anedotal evidence as long as its honest is good

Here is an excellent article in The Atlantic about Section 8 and crime patterns. It's long, 14 pages if you print it out, but worth reading if you are interested in this sort of thing:

"Why is crime rising in so many American cities? The answer implicates one of the most celebrated antipoverty programs of recent decades." The whole story:

The Atlantic Online | July/August 2008 | American Murder Mystery | Hanna Rosin

[Drover]

Other than its recipients, "celebrated" by whom?

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by lincolnparker

1250 for a 4 bedroom? Where can you find that in Chicago?

Definitely outside of Lincoln Park, heh. Some feel that the FMV rates cause these folks to concentrate in poorer areas, while effectively relieving the more affluent areas of the burden, for lack of better term, of the issues that they may bring.

I imagine most of those who celebrate the program do not live near too many $1,250 4-bedrooms and $700 studios.

[ajolotl]

Good Lord. This defies all common sense and reason. My view of the stereotypical classic American is that they would starve themselves to death before accepting public aid, but I guess that's something I got from the books I read as a kid. Without that, I hate to be Mr. Obvious but unless you're injured or incapacitated there has to be either a time limit or some payback; otherwise there is little incentive to leave. What am I missing?

Originally Posted by Drover

I saw a news story recently about a displaced family; the woman said she'd lived in her CHA complex for 41 years. All I could think to myself it "Good God, you mean in 41 years you couldn't get your s*#t together enough to get off the public teat?"

[ajolotl]

Beautiful cheap rental homes all over Roseland. Can get four-bedrooms for under 1000. I took a self-guided walking tour the other day. It was obviously once a very beautiful neighborhood -- can still see glimpses of it here and there in spots. But I did see three or four big old homes for rent and one was listed at 850. No promises for what it looks like inside.

Originally Posted by lincolnparker

1250 for a 4 bedroom? Where can you find that in Chicago?

[Lookout Kid]

Section 8 has put us as a nation in a difficult position. One one hand we have people who live off public aid for their entire lives, and do nothing to improve their plights. I agree that this is unacceptable. On the other hand, rent vouchers are the only thing separating millions of people from homelessness. One might say that homelessness is a great motivating factor to incite personal responsibility, but it could just lead to massive social unrest and crime--especially with the numbers we're talking about. There's a reason that American cities don't have shanty-towns surrounding them like many other cities around the world (Cairo, Rio, Mexico City, etc.)

[HopeT]

Oh, my gosh! I found exactly to a "T" what I have been so hard trying to find and this section is it!
I have a limited income of only $680 month, disabled early 40's and attend college but the catcher is I am moving to the Ft.Smith area out of a need for a fresh start and find a more advanced city if that makes an sense, I am from a very small town lets say not one stop light at all but lots of old fasion people with good hearts just I need more, living on my own now so very limited and I so so much need to find a apartment in this new area for me, but I need a safe place, I live in a gov. assisted apartments now for only a few months and it really goes down hill fast, suppose to be safe but NOT, and I have a dream of finding something I can basicly call home for awhile, and feel at peace so much at it. Thats until or if life changes for me for the good only. lol,
Anyway if anyone knows more on this voucher, which I know some of it because of the place I live and getting here but something more possitive would really be appreciative, I seem to be having trouble finding more information for that Ft.Smith area.. any suggestions???
HopeT

[ajolotl]

Good point, but do you really think Section 8 is why we don't have shanty towns? From my perspective it seems like it is because the country is extremely wealthy and anybody who is able-bodied and willing can find some kind of job, regardless of their last name, their racial 'purity', or who they know (difference between this and Latin America at least is night and day). There is enough money floating around that U.S. poor areas aren't made of tin shacks. Not that I think personal responsibility is the answer to everything -- I totally agree with you that it is nuanced. Just surprises me to learn some of this stuff for the first time.

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Section 8 has put us as a nation in a difficult position. One one hand we have people who live off public aid for their entire lives, and do nothing to improve their plights. I agree that this is unacceptable. On the other hand, rent vouchers are the only thing separating millions of people from homelessness. One might say that homelessness is a great motivating factor to incite personal responsibility, but it could just lead to massive social unrest and crime--especially with the numbers we're talking about. There's a reason that American cities don't have shanty-towns surrounding them like many other cities around the world (Cairo, Rio, Mexico City, etc.)