Tearing Down The Projects (Atlanta, Douglas: section 8, leasing, crime rates)

[Motion]

How do you feel about this?

Four big housing projects in Atlanta to be torn down - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

[gt6974a]

Good, guess the residents will be moving to Clayton County.

FYI, Atlanta was also the first city to provide govt. housing. They actually kept one of the project buildings in Centenial Place b/c it's considered a 'historical' building.

[Motion]

I've read where some people have complained that this has caused the "knuckleheads" to spread out more in the city now. Have you noticed an increase in crime in parts of the city that were fairly safe? I hear something similar has happened in Chicago with the tearing down of some of their projects. Relocating gangs members have caused problems in their new neighborhoods.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Good, guess the residents will be moving to Clayton County.

FYI, Atlanta was also the first city to provide govt. housing. They actually kept one of the project buildings in Centenial Place b/c it's considered a 'historical' building.

Don't be surprised if some of them "gasp" end up up your way. Do any of your neighbors rent to section 8 people?

The highrise that was retained at Centenial Place is for the elderly. Pretty much the only relics from the projects that will remain are a few highrises around town.

And you are correct, FDR opened Techwood as the Countries first public housing project. It was hailed as a social experiment and a National model when it was new.

[gt6974a]

Originally Posted by johnatl

Don't be surprised if some of them "gasp" end up up your way. Do any of your neighbors rent to section 8 people?

The highrise that was retained at Centenial Place is for the elderly. Pretty much the only relics from the projects that will remain are a few highrises around town.

And you are correct, FDR opened Techwood as the Countries first public housing project. It was hailed as a social experiment and a National model when it was new.

Don't think my are rents to section 8, but Centennial place definately does, it was part of the deal.

Actually it's not a high rise, next to the leasing office there's a one story building w/ historical marker.

[johnatl]

Well, the original highrise is still there, and it is elderly housing. Was not aware they restored one of the original brick "boxes" they had.

As far as Section 8 landlords go, nobody is immune to them anymore. Some people are renting to anyone they can now. Just because you live in the far Northern burbs, the city can come out there and bite you too. None of us are immune (unless of course you live in Country Club of the South or something).

[aries4118]

You can see atlantagreg's comment at the end of the article...

[atlantagreg30127]

I try to be sympathetic to those in need of a helping hand, as I'm originally from West Virginia, and as one of the poorest states, I know first-hand what it's like to have few funds in your bank account and needing assistance.

However, I've watched first hand as well, how having multiple section 8 homes in a given neighborhood can cause problems. In my own area, crime shot up a good bit, and the police pointed out to me that nearly all of it came from section 8 renters. One house alone has had no less than six different families in it in the last year, with each being replaced by the next one because they break the terms of section 8 assistance, their kids cause crime issues, etc.

I'm not saying the projects "worked". But we have to stop being politically correct and admit that only a small percentage of those in the projects were honestly trying to better themselves and get OUT of the projects on their own. Many were "career benefit recipients" who had lived on Government assistance nearly their whole lives, and would/will most likely continue to do so for the rest of their lives. Taking those people and giving them vouchers so they can swell into the suburbs isn't helping anyone, as the few who were serious about bettering themselves have less access to public transit and various help agencies when they are spread out like that. Being centralized is better as it's more convenient for those who really do need and use the services to get to them, etc.

[mmenomen]

Good, guess the residents will be moving to Clayton County.

They don't just go to Clayton. Putting the poor out in the suburbs is no better. It just spreads the crime out, rather than "keeping" it more concentrated in high density areas. Clayton County got the brunt of the earlier Section 8 tenants back in the mid 1990s when they tore down the Techwood projects around what is now called Centinniel Park, but keep in mind, other counties absorbed good numbers of the these poor people as well: DeKalb, Cobb, Douglas, etc. So, it is no small wonder that crime rates in some of those areas (various suburbs with these tenants) went up as well since the 1990s and scattering poor people dependent on public assistance was a definitely a factor in making suburbs more "blighted" over time.

My sentiments are echoed in more than one post below that article:

This does nothing to help. In my area of West Cobb which was once nearly crime free, the problems started when the first of the Atlanta projects were torn down a few years ago. "Residents" were given vouchers, and moved to rental homes in the suburbs. Their teens then began the process of destroying the neighborhoods they moved into with a variety of crimes. In my neighborhood alone, we had three section 8 homes, and all three of them had the police in front of them at least twice a week, and all of them had teens who had police records. (snip)

This is a comment taken from the Atlanta Business Article comments below the main article.
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/s...0/daily65.html

Though it doesn't specify, somebody's buddies are probably going to make some deals out of this, anywhere from the demolition teams to the people who own land around these current projects.

Though I am against the welfare state, I think these people should stay in concentrated areas. Ideally all welfare should be abolished and the task of helping the unfortunate should be left to Churches and private non-profits, but of course, we know that would never happen.

[PKCorey]

I thought this had been approved a long time ago....News to me...