is anyone familiar with...... (apartment, tenants, renters, house)

[boriguapa20]

i want to know if anyone is familiar with section 8 housing? is it only for people with no money? is it only for ghetto people? why does everyone judge people who have it?

[mead]

Its not only for people with no money, its for people with little money. Thats the whole point of the benefit program.

Is it generally for ghetto people? In the NYC area I'd say that more often than not people on Section 8 are pretty ghetto.

I once lived in an apartment underneath a woman who was on Section 8. She would spend the better part of the day screaming and cursing on the phone. She would talk so loudly that I could always hear her coming thru the ceiling. After that experience I have avoided living in buildings with section 8.

[boriguapa20]

how about section 8 in the surburbs why do they put most of them together? peple who cabt take care where they live ruined for others on section 8 and it makes people not want to rent to them

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by boriguapa20

i want to know if anyone is familiar with section 8 housing? is it only for people with no money? is it only for ghetto people? why does everyone judge people who have it?

Section 8 is one of the HUD programs (Federal Housing and Urban Development) that is administered on a local level to provide low income families a rent subsidy to make it possible for a family to rent an apartment/home meeting basic Housing Quality Standards. Basic Housing Quality Standards are more stringent than renting to non-Section 8 families.

Conventional Housing is generally also available along with Section 8. Conventional Housing is sometimes referred to as the "Projects" because Conventional housing is generally government owned and Section 8 housing is privately owned.

The basic rule is that no qualifying family should pay more than 30% of the family income for rent AND utilities. For some families their share of the rent can be anywhere from a few dollars plus utilities to almost the entire rent amount... dependant solely on the the family income.

This income is generally derived from General Assistance, Social Security, State Disability... although you will also find large single parent families or families with a disabled spouse with the other spouse working regular jobs, such as bus drivers, pre school teachers... etc. At one time, a family of 4 could earn near 50K in some parts of California and still qualify for some rent assistance. I'm not sure about the current income limit.

Section 8 came into being in an attempt by the Federal Government to disperse low income families into mainstream neighborhoods vs. grouping them together in the projects.

Generally, families with a gainfully employed adult are grateful for the assistance and sometimes even reach the point where they no longer qualify due to increased earnings... this would be a success story!

On the other spectrum, you also have families that are multi-generationally dependant on HUD. The most common scenario that I come across is three generations living in one subsidized unit... the grand daughter at an early age follows in her Mother's footsteps and becomes pregnant as a single parent and applies for a housing assistance voucher (Section 8) in her own name at age 18... and this is one way the cycle repeats.

In most areas, the waiting list can easily run 5 to 8 years from initial application to receiving a voucher. Generally, families with a disabled member do not have to wait as long. In times of Natural Disaster, HUD may issue Emergency Vouchers as was the case with Hurricane Katrina.

One of the cornerstones of the program is that the rent charged can not be more than comparable units in the building or neighborhood. Also the units total rent has to fall within the guidelines for that community... In other words... Section 8 will not pay luxury rental rates.

I have seen working, non-section 8 families with several children have 3 kids to a room... whereas Section 8 would classify the family as being under housed because it only allows 2 children per bedroom. Sometimes it makes working families wonder why they go through all the trouble to work when life "Appears" to be so much easier on the government dole.

An important fact is that once a family is in the Section 8 program it normally automatically qualifies for a vast array of other programs... such as reduced utility rates, low cost or no cost children's health insurance, free school lunches, food stamps... etc.

Section 8 can be administered by either a city or county. Once you have a voucher there is no limit on where you can move in the State as long as you can find a unit with rent falling within the guidelines. Moving only requires issue of a "Transfer Certificate"

As I said, you can rent a home in Beverly Hills with a Section 8 certificate providing you can find one with rent that is low enough to fit within the program parameters and a property owner willing to agree to HUD regulations governing Section 8 rentals.

Some of the rules are as simple as each room having at least one window with a window screen or having a fire extinguisher in the unit.

There is a strict "No Tolerance" Drug use rule that will result in the family being "Kicked Off" the program. In reality, this has proven very difficult to enforce because illegal drug use is often difficult to prove and the stakes are quite high with people often fearing retribution for coming forward. In California the situation is even more difficult since the advent of various Medical Marijuana ordinances.

Sorry for the long post... but I've worked with Section 8 rentals since 1982 and it is a constantly evolving program.

[mead]

Ultra, Very good post.

One of the things that p*sses me off the most about Section 8 is the whole 30% rule.

In NYC nobody pays only 30% of their income for rent. Normally people will spend 40-50% (if not more) on rent unless they are quite wealthy. Why should the government let these folks pay a lower percentage of their income than do regular working people?

All these welfare programs are a scam in my opinion. They encourage people to not work and just be on the dole, and this is unhealthy for society.

[boriguapa20]

wow that is alot of knowledge of section 8 but most of the time they bunch the low income peopletogetherinonesection that they make them seem so nuisance like. can a convicted felony get it too? cause even though they say no for the "projects" like in the bronx they still manage to bring drugs and crime in. so can a convicted felony get in on the lease?

[midwestmom]

Can't speak for NYC but we've lived in a few states and no they are not all crime infested druggies. Most I've seen are smaller (subsidized housing) and families making low income from low wage jobs. It can also be the "on the edge" folks who make too much to qualify for govt benefits (here in TX $300 is OVER income to get emergency aid) or seniors/disabled on a fixed income of around $600/month - there's no way they can spend 40% of their income on housing and that wouldn't even get them a rental most places. You can have awful neighbors regardless of income level, even if you own your home, its not just renters.

A section 8 voucher is where you find a rental and you get a subsidy to pay a portion of it. The hard part is finding a landlord who will accept it because of all those sweeping generalizations about section 8 tenants. It can be any rental. They will help UP to 30% of your income. Depending on the source of income, its a sliding scale. The amt and how its figured can vary by county/city. I see where it can be a good thing, esp for seniors and disabled. And it does have some quirks like if you're income goes up so does your rent (up to market supposedly) so it can vary month to month if your job hours do the same. Still I have heard of cases where the full rent for a Sec 8
housing apt can be higher than one you'd find on your own.


I think a better system might be a flat rent is figured and it stays that way for 1-2 yrs, you have that time to improve your situation and if its clear you're not trying you lose it. If you work more you would be able to get ahead with a second job and see the positive results of your efforts. That helps give incentive to try harder. With sec8 if you get a second job have to pay more childcare, and get a rent increase, higher taxes, lose medical you can end up in worse shape financially.