Editorials & Other Articles

nitpicker

(7,153 posts) Tue Jan 22, 2019, 07:52 AM Jan 2019

Anxiety is rising for millions of renters on government assisted housing

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/426322-anxiety-is-rising-for-millions-of-renters-on-government-assisted-housing

Anxiety is rising for millions of renters on government assisted housing

By LaRence Snowden, opinion contributor — 01/21/19 05:30 PM EST

Somewhere in the U.S., there's a single mother who works two jobs to provide for her young child. She works hard — really hard, but it’s still not enough. She doesn’t earn a salary to keep up with the high rents in her city, so a portion of her rent is subsidized with a federally funded voucher. It’s a lifeline. Every month, it keeps her motivated to keep going so she can better her financially fragile situation. She rests at night with hope that tomorrow will provide more certainly. She hopes her child won’t feel her burden and anxiety.

That was then. Today, her anxiety is rising, and she is not be alone. In fact, nearly 5 million others are now learning that their housing vouchers in the coming months are hanging in the balance, caught-up in the longest government shutdown in U.S history. Funding for Housing Choice Vouchers (formerly known as Section 8) is good through Feb. 28. Beyond that, Congress will need to pass a bill, with a two thirds majority to overcome a potential Presidential veto, to fund the vouchers.

Housing authorities, the local agencies that administer these vouchers, have been down this road before. In the last 43 years, there have been 21 shutdowns (including the current one), according to the New York Times. Government shutdowns have averaged seven days. People were hurt then, and there may be no shortage of victims this time around too. Truth is, a government shutdown hurts low-income and poor families the most. They rely on government subsidies for housing and services.

Contingency plans are in place, locally and nationally. HUD’s plan funds Housing Choice vouchers for about two months. What happens after that? It’s unclear. We have entered uncharted territory; contingency plans don’t reach this far, yet Congressional powers do.

Around the country, housing authorities are responding on all fronts. There’s no doubt that communication with tenants is a critical component in that response. Operators at call centers must be informed to communicate up-to-date information without causing further panic. Property managers should also share in the collective effort for transparency. They too need to have the answers to tenants’ anxious questions. Our tenants rely on us, now more than ever. We can’t fail them. We can’t fail each other. We are all in this together.
(snip)

5 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Anxiety is rising for millions of renters on government assisted housing (Original Post) nitpicker Jan 2019 OP

If trump had duforsure Jan 2019 #1

landlords are going to wait for godsake as their renter pool are all the same people depending on beachbum bob Jan 2019 #2

No, unfortunately not all are willing (or can afford to) wait... WePurrsevere Jan 2019 #3

MOST of the renter pool are people depending on GOVT vouchers, their are some exceptions AND the beachbum bob Jan 2019 #4

Did you read the whole article? It's already begun. WePurrsevere Jan 2019 #5

duforsure

(11,884 posts)

1. If trump had

Reply to nitpicker (Original post)

Tue Jan 22, 2019, 08:03 AM

Jan 2019

All his businesses linked to the government, and they all were closed down , and he had zero coming in , does anyone believe he wouldn't open the government back up in under 1 hour? I don't. He's using this as a weapon, and could care less about others he hurts doing it. It'll only expand too. He'll be doing this even more every time he's threatened with being exposed, or doesn't get his way to promote things he'll profit from by forcing contractors to pay him using his campaign funds, which he'll funnel into his pockets. His shutdown is backfiring badly om him and the gop now, and they only thought the Mid Terms results were bad. This is about abuse of power , and a enemy (Putin) using him to do harm to this country with.

beachbum bob

(10,437 posts)

2. landlords are going to wait for godsake as their renter pool are all the same people depending on

Reply to nitpicker (Original post)

Tue Jan 22, 2019, 08:39 AM

Jan 2019

govt vouchers

WePurrsevere

(24,259 posts)

3. No, unfortunately not all are willing (or can afford to) wait...

Reply to beachbum bob (Reply #2)

Tue Jan 22, 2019, 09:31 AM

Jan 2019

It's already begun, the clock is ticking.

From 3 days ago...
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/government-shutdown-evictions_us_5c4370b3e4b0bfa693c4196d
Government Shutdown Hiking Rent For Hundreds Of Low-Income Tenants
And it’s mostly elderly households that could face eviction.

A property management company told the tenants in a letter this week that because of the shutdown, the federal government is no longer subsidizing their rent.

“As of February 1, 2019, all tenants will be responsible for full basic rent,” said the letter, an image of which was tweeted Friday by a low-income housing advocate.

>snip<

If the shutdown continues into February, rent hikes and eviction threats will probably spread as more landlords get antsy. The letter follows a similar note that a different Arkansas landlord sent to 50 properties last week.

The buildings are subsidized by a U.S. Department of Agriculture rental assistance program that supports 282,000 households nationwide, most of them with elderly residents. The agency said last week that rental assistance is funded through January.

>snip<

But housing subsidy recipients do not have ironclad protection, according to a legal analysis the National Housing Law Project released Friday. While HUD’s regulation for landlords with Section 8 vouchers does not allow rent hikes or evictions if the government stops paying its share, it does allow them to evict tenants for “business or economic reasons,” such as wanting to lease an apartment for higher rent.

And there are no clear protections for tenants with USDA rental assistance. “What owners may do in the event of a government shutdown is not set out in [USDA rental assistance] regulations,” according to the analysis.

Not all subsidised housing is owned by corporations either. Some places are owned by 'mom & pop's type people renting out an apartment or 4 to help subsidise their own income and they can't afford to take a hit of zero rent for very long it at all.

beachbum bob

(10,437 posts)

4. MOST of the renter pool are people depending on GOVT vouchers, their are some exceptions AND the

Reply to WePurrsevere (Reply #3)

Tue Jan 22, 2019, 10:01 AM

Jan 2019

eviction process takes time, cost the landlord money and ends up in front of a judge in most cases, who will likely NOT rule in favor of the landlord under the shutdown scenario we have. THE MONEY WILL BE FORTHCOMING

WePurrsevere

(24,259 posts)

5. Did you read the whole article? It's already begun.

Reply to beachbum bob (Reply #4)

Tue Jan 22, 2019, 12:16 PM

Jan 2019

If this continues for much longer it WILL hurt tenants AND landlords. Not all landlords who accept subsidised housing funds are big corporations and many 'mom & pop' types can't afford to take a hit of months with no rent coming in.

Yes, eventually the money will probably come once the shut down ends but that doesn't mean tenants and landlords can afford to wait much longer. Even if a judge finds in favour of a tenant, who's helping the landlord pay their expenses that aren't being covered by the rent they normally and should receive?

Making like this isn't a real problem that needs to be addressed ASAP doesn't make it disappear for those actually living with it.

Reply to this discussion