Help finding section 8 data, percentages per capita, growth and expansion (Frederick: middle-class, real estate)

[wanderingyankie]

I'm a resident in Hagerstown Maryland and with elections coming I want to get some hard data on the substantial increase of section 8 housing in my community. Just having a car stolen and the poor police response makes me think the police might have more important crimes to follow up and investigate.

I live (lived) in a rather nice upper middle-class neighborhood and have been here off and on for over 35 years. The amount of rental property exploded during the flip craze a few years ago but many left holding the bag turned properties into section 8 to avoid foreclosure. Our crime rates have skyrocketed along with the constant influx of New York and Jersey plates. Sorry folks I just call it how I see it.

If someone has an idea where I might find this data I would greatly appreciate your help. I'm planning a move to Northern Virginia asap but want my voice heard loud and clear during these last few elections I'm going to be present for. I like to be prepared and educated with facts not guesses.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by wanderingyankie

If someone has an idea where I might find this data I would greatly appreciate your help.

The US Census for 2010 would have collected data to tell you the percentages of rental housing in a census tract. However, I suspect that information on homeowners who accept section 8 vouchers falls into the privacy zone. Perhaps a Realtor can comment. You also might find better answers in the C-D General Forum under Real Estate/Renting, eg here: //www.city-data.com/forum/renti...-question.html

You can also try a direct approach to the Hagerstown Housing Authority. They say they currently provide assistance to 12% of the Hagerstown population: http://www.hagerstownha.org/index.html

[juppiter]

Even if more homeowners decide to accept section 8, that doesn't mean the government would allocate more section 8 vouchers. The Housing Authority receives a fixed number of vouchers. Say that number is 1000. Even if 2000 units are made available to section 8 renters, the number of section 8 vouchers would stay at 1000.

To view the number of section 8 vouchers in your community, go to :

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

It is listed under "Number of HCV units."

In FY 2009, Hagerstown had 884 section 8 vouchers.
In FY 2010, Hagerstown had 884 section 8 vouchers.
In FY 2011, Hagerstown had 884 section 8 vouchers.
In FY 2012, Hagerstown had 884 section 8 vouchers.

This program is not like food stamps where they will accommodate more people during a recession. Thus there must be an alternative reason for what you are noticing.

[htownterp]

Originally Posted by wanderingyankie

I'm a resident in Hagerstown Maryland and with elections coming I want to get some hard data on the substantial increase of section 8 housing in my community. Just having a car stolen and the poor police response makes me think the police might have more important crimes to follow up and investigate.

I live (lived) in a rather nice upper middle-class neighborhood and have been here off and on for over 35 years. The amount of rental property exploded during the flip craze a few years ago but many left holding the bag turned properties into section 8 to avoid foreclosure. Our crime rates have skyrocketed along with the constant influx of New York and Jersey plates. Sorry folks I just call it how I see it.

If someone has an idea where I might find this data I would greatly appreciate your help. I'm planning a move to Northern Virginia asap but want my voice heard loud and clear during these last few elections I'm going to be present for. I like to be prepared and educated with facts not guesses.

What neighborhood do you live in?

Agree about New York...also DC and PG County.

[Tamika Means]

Exactly which parts of Hagerstown areas*you're*referring to??? Please let me know....

[wanderingyankie]

I am referring specifically about the North End near Long Meadow shopping center. I live between Pangborn Park and Longmeadow Shopping Center.

The park was built up with town homes that subsequently could not be sold during the recession. Sadly a realtor Cynthia Moller who was invested in the homes leased them out to either section 8 or some type of subsidized program. The park is now pretty much a hood. Coupled with more goverent subsidized projects up the street on Antietam Blvd.
Two individual state Policemen whom I shoot with have told me the other section 8/subsidized project (behind Lowes shopping center at Long Meadow) is now one of the worst crime areas in Hagerstown.
I have been saving money to buy a lot and build, my minds made up I would rather move someplace more expensive and buffer myself from the crime and hooligans. I'll be leaving Maryland for Virginia this year I hope.

[wanderingyankie]

By the way I should mention I've lived in this once great neighborhood most of my life with short stints overseas and in Virginia and Western Md WV while in college. After 30+ yrs in the old neighborhood I'm through with this place. Between the break in, car theft and the incompetent & or overworked police I'm done...

[htownterp]

Pretty sure the townhomes by the park and the apartments behind Lowes are owned/built by the same developer. The real estate crash killed both of those project. The apartments, I thought, were supposed to be condos. THe first few buildings built were pretty nice. Then the guy threw up the rest of the buildings as fast as he could. The demographics of that neighborhood have definitely changed.

[mapmd]

I don't blame ya. The trend in the 60's and 70's was to built apartment high rises for these people, but they got destroyed in less than a decade (by the residents of course) and became hellish crime spots, drug dealing centers, and just had all manner of violence. Police in major cities were afraid to go into these places, even with dozens of officers at a time.

Now the liberal trend is to give these people money (lots of money) to move out into the suburbs. Their thinking is that "if we just move them into middle class neighborhoods, they'll learn how to live that way" but it just simply isn't true. The unemployed/underemployed still sit around, their kids are still worse than average, the schools get suckier because of them, and there's just more litter thrown everywhere, more crime, more loud music, etc. etc.

What also sucks is they oftentimes get more in welfare than what a lot of working class and even a lot of middle class people EARN by working 40-50 hours a week. The difference is that we also have to pay taxes in addition to paying our own way...and they get to move in next door for free? Unreal.

I feel sorry for my country. Two trips overseas and this is what I come home to?

[htownterp]

It does seem that the crime is all over the 'tri-state area' anymore. Just in the past few days, someone was shot in Frederick and there was a second shots fired report, Martinsburg had five stabbings outside a nightclub, a woman shot in the face and killed, and an apartment building sprayed with bullets at 10:30 in the morning. Even Chambersburg has had a rash of robberies.

The 'city' has moved west.