income and nowhere to live
As more Minnesotans lose their jobs and confront economic uncertainty, they may turn to Section 8, the federal government s largest low income housing assistance program, for help.
When they do, they ll face an unpleasant surprise.
On average, metro area applicants spend at least three years on a Section 8 waiting list. But even getting one of the several lists run by area housing agencies isn t easy. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Section 8 waiting lists open about once every five years. Low income housing advocates say that years of underfunding have made getting a Section 8 voucher in a reasonable amount of time close to impossible for most families.
Minneapolis resident Virginia Weldon waited eight years for her Section 8 voucher. Now she advocates for the needs of low income Minnesotans through her work with the Wpatagonia better sweater coat blackelfare Rights Committee. It s ridiculous to wait eight years for an affordable apartment, she said.
Chart shows wait time to get on Section 8 waiting list plus waiting time for a voucher, once a family is on the waitpatagonia guide pants dockers1ing list. Chart from HOME Line s Long Waits, Eroding Choices report on Section 8 housing.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program, more commonly referred to as Section 8, provides federal rental subsidies for low income households. Voucher holders pay about thirty percent of their income toward rent. Nationwide, about two million households have vouchers, including about 30,000 Minnesotans, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington based liberal research group.
Low income housing advocates argue that long Section 8 waiting lists are the result of eight years of underfunding by the Bush administration. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that 150,000patagonia synchilla marsupial fleece pullover review Section 8 vouchers were lost as a result of funding changes during the Bush years. During the two days the list was open, over 12,000 households applied, the largest number yet. Meanwhpatagonia simple guide pants smallile, about 150 households who applied in 2003 are still waiting for a voucher.
The St. They received about 11,000 requests for applications. Over 8,000 people ended up on the waiting list. Our waiting list has never been this long before, St. They sent out 25,000 applications in response to phone, email, and fax requests. The agency conducted a lottery for spots on the waiting list. About 5,000 households were placed on the waiting list.
Gettpatagonia guide pants dockers3ing to thepatagonia hiking boots for sale top of the list takes time. That year, the agency received 59 regular vouchers and 400 vouchers for non elderly disabled adults. The St. Metro HRA has not received any new vouchers since 1999.
I get a lot of calls from people saying, When am I going to get my voucher? Ander said. I have to tell them, Well, before we can give you a voucher, someone else has to lose theirs.
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Since households can keep their voucher as long as they continue to meet program eligibility and follow basic regulations, the turnover rate tends to be slow.
But in St. Paul, only 65 percent of households who are sent an appointment letter end up using the program. In Minneapolis, the rate is 81 percent. Of particular interest: they indicate whether a landlord takes Section 8 vouchers.
Some households never receive the appointment letter because they fail to update their address, a common problem since many low income households move frequently. A Minnesota Housing Partnership survey of people applying for Section 8 in Minneapolis this June found that one fourth of all applicants were homeless. These familipatagonia better sweater vest women salees may use the address of a relative, friend, or a homeless shelter.
Some households simply cannot find a landlord who will accept Section 8. A report by HOME Line, a Minnesota non profit tenant advocacy organization, surveyed Anoka, Dakota, and suburban Hennepin Counties and found that only about 25 percent of all surveyed units accept Section 8. Similar reports do not exist for Ramsey and Hennepin counties, but low income housing advocates say that all Section 8 recipients face common barriers to using vouchers.
Some recipients cannot find an affordpatagonia discount code u-haulable apartment. The Department of patagonia discount code worldHousing and Urban Development (HUD) sets a rent limit, called the Fair Market Rent. Last year, HUD reduced the rent limit for a two bedroom unit in the Twin Cities metro area by ten dollars, to $848. During the same time, the average rent for a two bedroom apartment spiked to $980, a sixteen percent increase from 2007, according to HOME Line s report.
Chart shows amount of Fair Market Rent in red line and actual average rent for a two bedroom apartment in the Twin Cities area in blue line. Chart from HOME Line s Long Waits, Eroding Choices report on Section 8 housing.
Many landlords set income limits for potential tenants, creating a barrier for low income households. Housipatagonia guide pants dockers2ng advocates say some landlords choose not to accept Section 8 because of racial or class based prejudices, while others want to avoid the mandatory apartment inspection.
It just ends up being so arbitrary as to who gets it, Minnesota Housing Partnership s Research and Outreach Coordinator Leigh Rosenberg said. I think it really does speak to the hoops we make low income people jump through.
So far, the Obama administration has focused onpatagonia guide jacket quilt reducing inefficiencies in the Housing Choice Voucher program rather than proposing funding for new vouchers. However, the president s proposed budget does call for $1 billion to create a National Housing Trust Fund, which would build, repair, and preserve 1patagonia guide pants dockers.5 million housing units for low income families over the next ten years.
Many low income housing advocates argue that more vouchers are needed. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities issued a report last week calling for two million new vouchers over the next ten years. The research group estimates that the increase would help lift 3.3 million people out of poverty and prevent 230,000 people from becoming homeless.
Madeleine Baran is a freelance journalist, specializing in labor and poverty issues. Her articles have appeared in The New York Daily News, Dollapatagonia mens vest cheaprs Sense, Clamor, The New Standard, and other publications.
