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August 17, Tenant/Housing Disaster News
It's Half Way Through The Month Of August And Indications From Around The Nation Show That This Nation Is Definitely Having A Housing Crisis!
August 17, 2004 Tenant/Housing Disaster News
For the latest in tenant/housing news from around the nation, join, Roll Back the Rents!
Just send an e-mail to;
rollbacktherents-subscribe [at] yahoogroups.com
Click below for the last tenant/housing news update...
http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/08/1692160.php
Welcome to the current look around the nation at the world of tenant/housing news from Roll Back The Rents! An in brief report from Punta Gorda, Florida... Including a Special Report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and Housing Updates in brief from around the country, plus a few stories about the Section 8 crisis in Yolo County and Ogden Utah, ending with a short story from Paul Boden the executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco.
Roll Back The Rents...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Memo To Members:
National Low Income Housing Coalition Aug 13, 2004
SPECIAL REPORT: FY04 VOUCHER FUNDING CRISIS - WEEK 17
Montana Senator Writes HUD on Vouchers
Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), a member of the Senate VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, is the most recent Member of Congress to weigh in on the Administration’s recent and proposed changes to the funding of the housing voucher program. Senator Burns told HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson in an August 9 letter that he is “deeply concerned about the impact [HUD’s FY04 voucher funding] rules have on the ability of PHAs to provide affordable housing in communities which need it the most.” The letter sites “serious issues” for PHAs resulting from both the April 22 FY04 notice on Section 8 voucher funding and HUD’s proposed Flexible Voucher program.
Senator Burns, noting that the FY04 HUD appropriations bill seeks GAO reports on an audit of the Housing Certificate Fund account, requests that any further changes to the voucher program from HUD come after the GAO reports are issued and thorough analyses of the Flexible Voucher Program and FY04 funding changes are completed.
“While I understand the need for eliminating administrative waste as well as modernization of the program, I remain cautious about the true impact these changes will have on Montanans who benefit from it,” Senator Burns wrote. His letter comes after recent news articles have reported that “nearly all” of Montana’s housing authorities are affected by the FY04 funding cuts, and that as many as 400 families could lose their assistance in October.
http://www.nlihc.org/current.htm#4
************
Florida Housing Disaster In Brief...
790,000 Still Have No Power in Florida
August 17, 2004 16 minutes ago
By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press Writer
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - About 790,000 people remain without power in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley, and officials estimate it could take weeks to get electricity fully restored. At least 150,000 are without local phone service. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will visit today to study the damage in the Ft. Myers area.
Some 2,300 people stayed in shelters, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (news - web sites) director Michael Brown said 11,000 have already applied for disaster aid. Federal officials received 20,000 catastrophic housing requests — 10,000 on Monday alone.
Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte were among the hardest-hit areas Friday, and 25 of Florida's 67 counties were designated federal disaster areas. Officials estimate Charley caused as much as $11 billion in damage to insured homes alone.
Early Tuesday, state emergency management spokeswoman Tameeka Forbes said the death toll had been raised from 18 to 19, but no further details on the new reported death were immediately released. Earlier, Charley killed four people in Cuba and one in Jamaica.
No phone. No running water. No ice to fight the heat. No diapers for the baby and no gas to fill the tank. For thousands who've lost their homes and creature comforts to Hurricane Charley, this is reality.
"The hard part is not being able to bathe and not having food and water unless I go out and look for it," said Tami Wilson, 48, while waiting in line at a "comfort station" for ice and water while her blind husband, Dewaine, waited alone at home.
"I just want something to eat," house cleaner Willie Mae Robinson said as she waited for canned goods and ice with several dozen others at an old train depot in Bowling Green, where temperatures soared into the high 80s. "I have something for today but I don't have anything for tomorrow.
************
August 2004 Tenant/Housing Updates In Brief.
Updates:
* On August 16, 2004 the Associated Press reported that the Ogden, UT, Housing Authority hit by triple whammy: FY 04 voucher funding cut, reduction in federal administrative funding, and lower proposed Fair Market Rents for 2005.
* The Hoboken Reported reported on August 15, 2004 that the The FY 04 voucher funding cut has forced the Hoboken, NJ, Housing Authority to take vouchers out of circulation.
* City Limits Monthly of New York City discusses how Section 8 funding cuts interact with New York City's affordable housing crisis and the City's efforts to take up the federal slack in its September/October 2004 issue.
* On August 13, 2004 the Belleville News-Democrat reported that Madison County, Illinois is terminating 19 vouchers as of Sept 1.
* In Collinsville, Illinois "About 30 people protested yesterday outside the Madison County Housing Authority over possible cutbacks in Section Eight housing funds." reported WQAD of Moline, IL on August 13, 2004.
* The Chicago Tribune reported on August 13, 2004 that the DuPage Housing authority imposed rent contribution on recipients to offset HUD's reduction in voucher funding.
* The North Adams [MA] Transcript reported on August 12, 2004 that North Adams continues to protest HUD voucher funding cuts.
* The Long Beach [CA] Press Telegram reported on August 12, 2004 that the Long Beach Housing Authority proposes higher tenant contributions, shorter search times, and limitations on moving to higher-rent units in an attempt to close the funding gap created by the FY 04 voucher funding cut.
* On August 9, 2004 A Boston Globe editorial opposes FVP and criticizes the FY 04 voucher funding cut.
* Sheila Crowley of NLIHC and Barbara Sard of CBPP rebut HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson in letters to the New York Times on August 12, 2004 and August 13, 2004
* In Montana, an opinion piece in the Billings Gazette on August 8, 2004 stated "The program budget will still be $9,000 in the hole at the end of August, and none of the 35 families on the waiting list can be added to the rent subsidy program"
* On August 4, 2004 the Chicago Tribune reported that "Elgin notified 32 people that their rental assistance would end July 31. But Freeman said the authority decided late last week to delay the cuts after aides to U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) intervened to set up a meeting with HUD."
* On August 6, 2004 The Long Beach Press Telegram reported that The Long Beach Housing Authority is proposing increased minimum rents and reduced tenant flexibility to combat the funding limitiations imposed by HUD's FY 04 voucher funding rules.
* On August 5, 2004 the Fort Wayne News Sentinel reported that "Proposed cuts in federal funds could force the Fort Wayne Housing Authority to reduce the number of families it helps with subsidized housing as soon as next year. Doing so could leave more than 300 local families relying on federal Section 8 vouchers to help with rent payments without help."
* The North Adams Transcript reported on August 6, 2004 that The PHA in North Adams, MA, has cut 26 families from its program as of September as a result of HUD's FY 04 voucher funding rule. Additional coverage reports that housing subsidy recipients are scared by the cuts.
* In Montana, the Great Falls Tribune reported on Auguest 4, 2004 that "The state has about $1.8 million in pre-fiscal year 2003 reserves, but officials have chewed through $462,000 of that already and could run out by next year, [George Warn, chief of the state's Housing Assistance Bureau] said. Officials have already raised rents and adjusted payment standards to compensate for some of the lost funding. In late June, Warn was one of many housing officials who appealed to HUD to restore funding due to falling tenant incomes and increasing utility costs. He expected a reply sometime in October."
* The Seattle Post Intelligencer reported on August 4, 2004 that "More than 300 people gathered outside the Seattle federal building yesterday to protest deep cuts to public housing proposed by the Bush administration...Attending the protest were Rep. Jim McDermott, Tacoma Housing Authority Director Peter Ansara and dozens of poor, elderly and disabled tenants who could lose their apartments under the administration proposal."
* The City Limits Weekly of New York City reports on August 2, 2004 that "The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has agreed to restore $6 million in 2004 rental voucher funding to New York City."
* The Daily Herald of Illinois reported on August 3, 2004 that "For the year ending March 2005, the Housing Authority of Elgin had requested $8 million in Section 8 funding, but so far it has gotten HUD approval for just $6 million. Learning of the shortfall earlier this year, the housing authority tried to cut costs, dipped into its reserves and encouraged the 32 affected families to apply to move into one of the housing authority's 255 units of public housing....Officials from the Housing Authority of Elgin, HUD and the office of U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert all have been working together to try to find a way to keep the families in their homes. "
* The Los Angeles Times reported on August 1, 2004 that "Faced with an estimated $13.4-million shortfall, the Los Angeles County Housing Authority is reducing the amount of monthly assistance it offers low-income families whose rents are subsidized by the federal government." The article went on to say "Arnie Corlin of the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, said the changes may make it unfeasible for some apartment owners to participate in Section 8…"
* On August 3, 2004 The Billings [MT] Gazette reported "'Not only are Montana families at risk, but up to 400 landlords will be left with rentals where the tenants can no longer afford to pay the rent,' said George Warn, program manager with the state department of commerce."
* In Illinois, on August 1, 2004 the Belleview News Democrat reported that "Metro-east applicants seeking Section 8 vouchers for rent assistance or income-based public housing through county housing authorities can expect to wait two to five years. Although some federal and state housing organizers contend funding remains strong, local housing authorities say they are having to serve more with less."
************
Families may lose housing subsidies
The Davis Enterprise - Aug 16
About 150 to 200 Yolo County families may lose their Section 8 housing subsidies under a proposal by the Yolo County Housing Authority, to meet funding cuts handed down by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Subsidies would be eliminated for those who have received funding for the longest periods - some as many as 15 or 20 years - to give assistance to new families that may need a little help turning their lives around. Seniors and the handicapped would be exempt, no matter how long they have received subsidies.
HUD informed the Housing Authority in April that it would only be allowed to provide Section 8 housing subsidies for 1,378 families, the number of recipients in August 2003, and that the change would be retroactive to Jan. 1.
When this decision was announced, the Housing Authority was administering Section 8 subsidies for 1,440 families and making preparations to add more families to reach the 1,466 maximum allowed by HUD, Serena said.
In addition to decreasing the number of vouchers allowed, HUD also reduced the amount it pays toward vouchers and administration fees, Serena said.
In July, the authority had 1,410 families receiving Section 8 subsidies at a cost of $608,000. But the authority was only budgeted for $433,000. So far in August, the authority has already overrun its budget by $75,000.
If the authority decides to stop rent subsidies for some families, they must be given 60 days notice before funding is cut off. By that time, in October, the authority may well be $300,000 in the red, Serena said.
Click below for full story...
http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2004/08/16/news/137new0.txt
************
KSL News: Feds Cut Back Funding of Subsidized Housing
KSL-TV News - Aug 16
OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- Cutbacks in federal funding are affecting subsidized housing programs in Utah and across the country. The changes are expected to pinch already-tight, low-income households and could lead to some families and individuals living in poorer quality housing.
"We may have to eliminate some housing vouchers and we've asked landlords not to raise rents," said Susan Manning, executive director of the Ogden Housing Authority. "Our priorities will be to help those who are working and help smaller families, because it costs less."
In late May, housing authorities across the country were notified that voucher funding for 2004 had been rolled back to 2003 funding levels, a cut of about 5 percent.
Ogden has a three-year wait for people trying to get Section 8 vouchers, which allow recipients to pay just 30 percent of their rent, while the government subsidizes the rest, up to a specified limit, called fair market rent.
Ogden's Housing Authority currently serves 945 families and individuals through its voucher program; 76.5 percent are single women with children.
Click below for full story...
http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=5&sid=113261
*************
Move to Target Homelessness Strictly a Campaign Tactic
Paul Bolden
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
August 16, 2004
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the federal government's campaign compelling cities across the country to write 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness looks increasingly like no more than pre-election political campaigning.
Recognizing Democrats were way too timid to seize the debate on the issues of homelessness and poverty, the White House has launched the Interagency Council on Homelessness and its executive director, Philip Mangano.
So far, Mangano has helped 125 cities across America write their 10-year plans. Mangano speaks more like a fiery Boston preacher than a D.C. bureaucrat as he connects the abolitionist movement to end slavery with the White House's "plan" to end homelessness. He demands local politicians not discuss the fact that President Bush's new budget will gut $1.6 billion per year from the largest federal program providing affordable housing for poor people, affecting an estimated 250,000 poor families and individuals nationally. Instead, they must sing the praises of a new $70 million per year, three-agency federal program to develop permanent supportive housing for homeless people.
Everyone wanting to end homelessness needs to fully understand:
* Throughout America, homelessness is increasing, and families are universally seen as the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population;
* Federal cuts to housing expenditures since the early 1980s mirror the growth of the "problem" of homelessness locally;
* Bush's proposed $1.6 billion cut to HUD Section 8 funding will displace, make homeless, thousands of people (especially families);
* Any plan to address homelessness is only as effective as the funding allocated to it.
* Paul Boden is executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco. This column originally appeared in Street Sheet, a Coalition publication.
************
For the latest in tenant/housing news from around the nation, join, Roll Back the Rents!
Just send an e-mail to;
rollbacktherents-subscribe [at] yahoogroups.com
Click below for the last tenant/housing news update...
http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/08/1692160.php
Welcome to the current look around the nation at the world of tenant/housing news from Roll Back The Rents! An in brief report from Punta Gorda, Florida... Including a Special Report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and Housing Updates in brief from around the country, plus a few stories about the Section 8 crisis in Yolo County and Ogden Utah, ending with a short story from Paul Boden the executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco.
Roll Back The Rents...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Memo To Members:
National Low Income Housing Coalition Aug 13, 2004
SPECIAL REPORT: FY04 VOUCHER FUNDING CRISIS - WEEK 17
Montana Senator Writes HUD on Vouchers
Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), a member of the Senate VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, is the most recent Member of Congress to weigh in on the Administration’s recent and proposed changes to the funding of the housing voucher program. Senator Burns told HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson in an August 9 letter that he is “deeply concerned about the impact [HUD’s FY04 voucher funding] rules have on the ability of PHAs to provide affordable housing in communities which need it the most.” The letter sites “serious issues” for PHAs resulting from both the April 22 FY04 notice on Section 8 voucher funding and HUD’s proposed Flexible Voucher program.
Senator Burns, noting that the FY04 HUD appropriations bill seeks GAO reports on an audit of the Housing Certificate Fund account, requests that any further changes to the voucher program from HUD come after the GAO reports are issued and thorough analyses of the Flexible Voucher Program and FY04 funding changes are completed.
“While I understand the need for eliminating administrative waste as well as modernization of the program, I remain cautious about the true impact these changes will have on Montanans who benefit from it,” Senator Burns wrote. His letter comes after recent news articles have reported that “nearly all” of Montana’s housing authorities are affected by the FY04 funding cuts, and that as many as 400 families could lose their assistance in October.
http://www.nlihc.org/current.htm#4
************
Florida Housing Disaster In Brief...
790,000 Still Have No Power in Florida
August 17, 2004 16 minutes ago
By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press Writer
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - About 790,000 people remain without power in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley, and officials estimate it could take weeks to get electricity fully restored. At least 150,000 are without local phone service. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will visit today to study the damage in the Ft. Myers area.
Some 2,300 people stayed in shelters, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (news - web sites) director Michael Brown said 11,000 have already applied for disaster aid. Federal officials received 20,000 catastrophic housing requests — 10,000 on Monday alone.
Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte were among the hardest-hit areas Friday, and 25 of Florida's 67 counties were designated federal disaster areas. Officials estimate Charley caused as much as $11 billion in damage to insured homes alone.
Early Tuesday, state emergency management spokeswoman Tameeka Forbes said the death toll had been raised from 18 to 19, but no further details on the new reported death were immediately released. Earlier, Charley killed four people in Cuba and one in Jamaica.
No phone. No running water. No ice to fight the heat. No diapers for the baby and no gas to fill the tank. For thousands who've lost their homes and creature comforts to Hurricane Charley, this is reality.
"The hard part is not being able to bathe and not having food and water unless I go out and look for it," said Tami Wilson, 48, while waiting in line at a "comfort station" for ice and water while her blind husband, Dewaine, waited alone at home.
"I just want something to eat," house cleaner Willie Mae Robinson said as she waited for canned goods and ice with several dozen others at an old train depot in Bowling Green, where temperatures soared into the high 80s. "I have something for today but I don't have anything for tomorrow.
************
August 2004 Tenant/Housing Updates In Brief.
Updates:
* On August 16, 2004 the Associated Press reported that the Ogden, UT, Housing Authority hit by triple whammy: FY 04 voucher funding cut, reduction in federal administrative funding, and lower proposed Fair Market Rents for 2005.
* The Hoboken Reported reported on August 15, 2004 that the The FY 04 voucher funding cut has forced the Hoboken, NJ, Housing Authority to take vouchers out of circulation.
* City Limits Monthly of New York City discusses how Section 8 funding cuts interact with New York City's affordable housing crisis and the City's efforts to take up the federal slack in its September/October 2004 issue.
* On August 13, 2004 the Belleville News-Democrat reported that Madison County, Illinois is terminating 19 vouchers as of Sept 1.
* In Collinsville, Illinois "About 30 people protested yesterday outside the Madison County Housing Authority over possible cutbacks in Section Eight housing funds." reported WQAD of Moline, IL on August 13, 2004.
* The Chicago Tribune reported on August 13, 2004 that the DuPage Housing authority imposed rent contribution on recipients to offset HUD's reduction in voucher funding.
* The North Adams [MA] Transcript reported on August 12, 2004 that North Adams continues to protest HUD voucher funding cuts.
* The Long Beach [CA] Press Telegram reported on August 12, 2004 that the Long Beach Housing Authority proposes higher tenant contributions, shorter search times, and limitations on moving to higher-rent units in an attempt to close the funding gap created by the FY 04 voucher funding cut.
* On August 9, 2004 A Boston Globe editorial opposes FVP and criticizes the FY 04 voucher funding cut.
* Sheila Crowley of NLIHC and Barbara Sard of CBPP rebut HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson in letters to the New York Times on August 12, 2004 and August 13, 2004
* In Montana, an opinion piece in the Billings Gazette on August 8, 2004 stated "The program budget will still be $9,000 in the hole at the end of August, and none of the 35 families on the waiting list can be added to the rent subsidy program"
* On August 4, 2004 the Chicago Tribune reported that "Elgin notified 32 people that their rental assistance would end July 31. But Freeman said the authority decided late last week to delay the cuts after aides to U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) intervened to set up a meeting with HUD."
* On August 6, 2004 The Long Beach Press Telegram reported that The Long Beach Housing Authority is proposing increased minimum rents and reduced tenant flexibility to combat the funding limitiations imposed by HUD's FY 04 voucher funding rules.
* On August 5, 2004 the Fort Wayne News Sentinel reported that "Proposed cuts in federal funds could force the Fort Wayne Housing Authority to reduce the number of families it helps with subsidized housing as soon as next year. Doing so could leave more than 300 local families relying on federal Section 8 vouchers to help with rent payments without help."
* The North Adams Transcript reported on August 6, 2004 that The PHA in North Adams, MA, has cut 26 families from its program as of September as a result of HUD's FY 04 voucher funding rule. Additional coverage reports that housing subsidy recipients are scared by the cuts.
* In Montana, the Great Falls Tribune reported on Auguest 4, 2004 that "The state has about $1.8 million in pre-fiscal year 2003 reserves, but officials have chewed through $462,000 of that already and could run out by next year, [George Warn, chief of the state's Housing Assistance Bureau] said. Officials have already raised rents and adjusted payment standards to compensate for some of the lost funding. In late June, Warn was one of many housing officials who appealed to HUD to restore funding due to falling tenant incomes and increasing utility costs. He expected a reply sometime in October."
* The Seattle Post Intelligencer reported on August 4, 2004 that "More than 300 people gathered outside the Seattle federal building yesterday to protest deep cuts to public housing proposed by the Bush administration...Attending the protest were Rep. Jim McDermott, Tacoma Housing Authority Director Peter Ansara and dozens of poor, elderly and disabled tenants who could lose their apartments under the administration proposal."
* The City Limits Weekly of New York City reports on August 2, 2004 that "The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has agreed to restore $6 million in 2004 rental voucher funding to New York City."
* The Daily Herald of Illinois reported on August 3, 2004 that "For the year ending March 2005, the Housing Authority of Elgin had requested $8 million in Section 8 funding, but so far it has gotten HUD approval for just $6 million. Learning of the shortfall earlier this year, the housing authority tried to cut costs, dipped into its reserves and encouraged the 32 affected families to apply to move into one of the housing authority's 255 units of public housing....Officials from the Housing Authority of Elgin, HUD and the office of U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert all have been working together to try to find a way to keep the families in their homes. "
* The Los Angeles Times reported on August 1, 2004 that "Faced with an estimated $13.4-million shortfall, the Los Angeles County Housing Authority is reducing the amount of monthly assistance it offers low-income families whose rents are subsidized by the federal government." The article went on to say "Arnie Corlin of the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, said the changes may make it unfeasible for some apartment owners to participate in Section 8…"
* On August 3, 2004 The Billings [MT] Gazette reported "'Not only are Montana families at risk, but up to 400 landlords will be left with rentals where the tenants can no longer afford to pay the rent,' said George Warn, program manager with the state department of commerce."
* In Illinois, on August 1, 2004 the Belleview News Democrat reported that "Metro-east applicants seeking Section 8 vouchers for rent assistance or income-based public housing through county housing authorities can expect to wait two to five years. Although some federal and state housing organizers contend funding remains strong, local housing authorities say they are having to serve more with less."
************
Families may lose housing subsidies
The Davis Enterprise - Aug 16
About 150 to 200 Yolo County families may lose their Section 8 housing subsidies under a proposal by the Yolo County Housing Authority, to meet funding cuts handed down by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Subsidies would be eliminated for those who have received funding for the longest periods - some as many as 15 or 20 years - to give assistance to new families that may need a little help turning their lives around. Seniors and the handicapped would be exempt, no matter how long they have received subsidies.
HUD informed the Housing Authority in April that it would only be allowed to provide Section 8 housing subsidies for 1,378 families, the number of recipients in August 2003, and that the change would be retroactive to Jan. 1.
When this decision was announced, the Housing Authority was administering Section 8 subsidies for 1,440 families and making preparations to add more families to reach the 1,466 maximum allowed by HUD, Serena said.
In addition to decreasing the number of vouchers allowed, HUD also reduced the amount it pays toward vouchers and administration fees, Serena said.
In July, the authority had 1,410 families receiving Section 8 subsidies at a cost of $608,000. But the authority was only budgeted for $433,000. So far in August, the authority has already overrun its budget by $75,000.
If the authority decides to stop rent subsidies for some families, they must be given 60 days notice before funding is cut off. By that time, in October, the authority may well be $300,000 in the red, Serena said.
Click below for full story...
http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2004/08/16/news/137new0.txt
************
KSL News: Feds Cut Back Funding of Subsidized Housing
KSL-TV News - Aug 16
OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- Cutbacks in federal funding are affecting subsidized housing programs in Utah and across the country. The changes are expected to pinch already-tight, low-income households and could lead to some families and individuals living in poorer quality housing.
"We may have to eliminate some housing vouchers and we've asked landlords not to raise rents," said Susan Manning, executive director of the Ogden Housing Authority. "Our priorities will be to help those who are working and help smaller families, because it costs less."
In late May, housing authorities across the country were notified that voucher funding for 2004 had been rolled back to 2003 funding levels, a cut of about 5 percent.
Ogden has a three-year wait for people trying to get Section 8 vouchers, which allow recipients to pay just 30 percent of their rent, while the government subsidizes the rest, up to a specified limit, called fair market rent.
Ogden's Housing Authority currently serves 945 families and individuals through its voucher program; 76.5 percent are single women with children.
Click below for full story...
http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=5&sid=113261
*************
Move to Target Homelessness Strictly a Campaign Tactic
Paul Bolden
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
August 16, 2004
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the federal government's campaign compelling cities across the country to write 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness looks increasingly like no more than pre-election political campaigning.
Recognizing Democrats were way too timid to seize the debate on the issues of homelessness and poverty, the White House has launched the Interagency Council on Homelessness and its executive director, Philip Mangano.
So far, Mangano has helped 125 cities across America write their 10-year plans. Mangano speaks more like a fiery Boston preacher than a D.C. bureaucrat as he connects the abolitionist movement to end slavery with the White House's "plan" to end homelessness. He demands local politicians not discuss the fact that President Bush's new budget will gut $1.6 billion per year from the largest federal program providing affordable housing for poor people, affecting an estimated 250,000 poor families and individuals nationally. Instead, they must sing the praises of a new $70 million per year, three-agency federal program to develop permanent supportive housing for homeless people.
Everyone wanting to end homelessness needs to fully understand:
* Throughout America, homelessness is increasing, and families are universally seen as the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population;
* Federal cuts to housing expenditures since the early 1980s mirror the growth of the "problem" of homelessness locally;
* Bush's proposed $1.6 billion cut to HUD Section 8 funding will displace, make homeless, thousands of people (especially families);
* Any plan to address homelessness is only as effective as the funding allocated to it.
* Paul Boden is executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco. This column originally appeared in Street Sheet, a Coalition publication.
************
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