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What are your thoughts on this program? Good or bad?
I've read a few interesting articles about Section 8 recently and it appears that this program, with apparently noble goals, is not working and in fact causing big problems in otherwise decent neighborhoods. What can be done to fix this program? And if the answer is "nothing," how can we get politicians to change this policy?
This is going to sound out of the box but I think the best thing we can do is to allow AFFIRMATIVE housing discrimination. Much like Affirmative Action in colleges and employment. I would like to see the law allow carefully monitored housing integration programs that would be done by both race and class. Let's say a development has 100 housing units in it and it submits a proposal to set aside 15% of the units for Hispanics, 15% for blacks, 5% for Asians and the remaining 65% for whites. As for class, it could submit a plan to set aside 6% of the units for Section 8 use but with no clustering of such units allowed in the development. Such a plan could be monitored by the Dept of Housing. The problems with Sec 8 are that they tend to cluster in certain developments or even certain parts of developments. The idea of Sec 8 is to get the poor people on it to assimilate into the larger socieity and adopt the values of the middle class. The only way to do that is for them to live surrounded by middle class people. When they do, they generally assimilate.
The only way to do that is for them to live surrounded by middle class people. When they do, they generally assimilate.
I actually don't think this is true at all. Maybe in smaller concentrations the voucher holders do less to harm the communities they move into, but overall I don't think that the program is turning enough lives around to justify its existence.
What are your thoughts on this program? Good or bad?
I've read a few interesting articles about Section 8 recently and it appears that this program, with apparently noble goals, is not working and in fact causing big problems in otherwise decent neighborhoods. What can be done to fix this program? And if the answer is "nothing," how can we get politicians to change this policy?
It's actually a myth that section 8 causes problems in otherwise decent neighborhoods. In fact, the concentration of poverty in housing projects is the problem. As soon as poverty is deconcentrated the crime doesn't simply relocate -- it disappears.
Also the program has hugely cut down on fraud in the past few years and recovered millions from those who defrauded the program
It's actually a myth that section 8 causes problems in otherwise decent neighborhoods. In fact, the concentration of poverty in housing projects is the problem. As soon as poverty is deconcentrated the crime doesn't simply relocate -- it disappears.
Also the program has hugely cut down on fraud in the past few years and recovered millions from those who defrauded the program
So how does the government deconcentrate the poverty? As of right now, the only communities taking on these voucher-holders are middle class and blue-collar neighborhoods that are being severely adversely-affected by their new neighbors. The upper-middle class and wealthy neighborhoods shoulder none of the burden because there are price barriers, or lack of supply, that prevent voucher-holders from moving in "next door." Middle and working class folks are getting the shaft by a government program that isn't operating nearly as intended.
Right. Zoning is the problem. We likely would not need section 8 if towns didn't have exclusive single-family zoning.
But you and I are the only ones who see the connection between zoning and Section 8. Since the middle class doesn't see the connection, they keep clinging to their zoning and continue bashing Section 8.
You cannot legally live in a vehicle. At least not in L.A. County.
Right, that's why I said there might be fines and penalties.
I was replying to this:
Originally Posted by Dale Cooper
They fix it by getting rid of it. There is no shame in living in a van.
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