Interesting article and commmentary in the Dayton Daily News about "Section 8", the program to disperse poor people eligible for housing assistance out to the suburbs.
Reading the article and the comments one notices there really isn't much of this housing in the south suburbs, yet there is a perception that there is.
What is happening is, I think, that there is a surplus of older apartment & multifamily housing in the suburbs, thus rents are low. So people are moving up out of Dayton to these complexes, so as to be closer to work, have better schools for their kids, and escape crime and substandard housing.
These people are probably not on section 8, but are mostly likley poorer than the homeowners in the surrounding subivisions or poorer than earlier residentents of the complex. And there is a good chance they are black or even Mexican, as well as poor white. If they are renting and working in Washington or Miami Township they might be avoiding city income tax, too.
So there is this perception that there is more section 8 than there really is, and what people are noticing is the working poor leaving the city for better conditions in the suburbs, which are affordable to them as rentals but not via home ownership.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Section 8 Hits the News
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3 comments:
Then the second battle begins. Fighting bad perceptions and social prejudism begins. Cliburn, being our HUD housing in South Park, didn't really have bad people there. We always knew it was either their friends or family that visited them who cause trouble. The DPD would usually tell us the criminals tied to Cliburn didn't even live there. Letting people improve their lives will help end the cycle of poverty. Take some heat, if it so happens, and recognize most these people want better lives.
Pleasantville is seeing more colored people, and like in the movie the locals are upset and dont know what to do about it. I myself don't have a problem with rent assistance as this helps reduce the risk of homelessness
As for Section 8 this is how I would address it, or simplify it:
Supply Side: mandate that anyone renting 9 or more units must accept the vouchers. Eliminate the "qualified propertys" concept.
Demand Side: Provide the voucher, but verify that it is being used for rent somehow. Maybe just do a sample/spot check.
Pleasantville was one of the most profound movies I have seen in my life. This flick is the social side society scaleble in a nutshell. If not the exact scenario, quite applicable to any situation: religion, race, creed, sexual orientation, etc...FUD.
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