Posted on 01/10/2015 1:06:08 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
Rochester, NY (WROC) - LaTanya Daughtry needs a new place to live.
The single mother of two boys is on disability and gets a Section 8 housing voucher. But many online classifieds ads say "No Section 8."
"It just makes me feel people look at me differently because I'm on Section 8," Daughtry said. "A lot of ads say no Section 8 right off the bat."
Section 8 is a federal housing program run through the Rochester Housing Authority. Recipients pay a portion of the rent and Section 8 pays the rest.
Section 8 vouchers are in short supply. In the Rochester region, 9,125 families get the housing vouchers. There are about 10,000 families who have been on the waiting list for five years. A Harvard University study found that 30 percent of Rochester area renters are "severely burdened," meaning they pay more than half their income on rent.
"I really can't afford housing on my own with a disability, so Section 8 helps out tremendously," said Daughtry.
The goal of Section 8 was to give poor people the freedom to move where they want. But it hasn't worked out that way. Sixty-one percent of the region's Section 8 recipients live in high-poverty areas.
"It's not illegal in Rochester and most of the state to deny someone because the landlord doesn't wish to contract and accept the Section 8 voucher," said Lou Prieto, an attorney with Legal Assistance of Western New York.
Rochester's higher-end Park Ave. neighborhood has the lowest concentration of Section 8 housing vouchers in the city, with only a few dozen recipients living in housing units there.
"It has nothing to do with we don't like poor people. It just means (Park Ave.) housing is more expensive," said Gini Denninger, a real estate agent.
Section 8 bases how much it will pay landlords on comparable rents in the area. The Park Ave. area commands $912 for a two-bedroom, higher than the $830 standard Section 8 rate. If a tenant wants to live in a pricier apartment, Section 8 will evaluate the comparable rents. As long as tenants don't pay more than 40 percent of ther income in rent, Section 8 will sign off on the arrangement.
Many landlords complain about the red tape involved with Section 8. There are pre-move-in inspections that can two weeks to schedule, leaving a property vacant. Section 8 also requires landlords use a contract it provides.
Some landlords think Section 8 tenants, who need public assistance to pay for housing, are more of a risk.
"This is a business. And I have an obligation to the City of Rochester and the neighborhood I own property in to put the best person in that neighborhood," said Mary D'Alessandro, who owns 11 properties and heads the New York State Property Owners Coalition.
The new interim director of the Rochester Housing Authority wants landlords to be required to accept Section 8. At a recent board meeting, Adam McFadden proposed a fair housing law. That would forbid landlords from discriminating against Section 8 tenants, in the same way landlords are not allowed to discriminate against people with disabilities or people with children.
McFadden would not appear on camera for this story, citing the controversy over his appointment and a need to stay out of the spotlight.
A fair housing law would face opposition.
"If I am discriminating for Section 8 - on income discrimination - then these people should be able to go get a mortgage. Why do I have to rent to them, but a bank doesn't have to give them a mortgage?" said D'Alessandro.
"If Section 8 were that easy for housing providers, they would all be doing it," said Denninger.
Prieto said in order for a fair housing law to work, it would have to be countywide.
"Even if Rochester were to pass such an ordinance, the tenants would still encounter problems, I think in the suburbs," said Prieto.
Fair housing laws exist in Buffalo and New York City. There is no fair housing law proposal in front of Rochester City Council or the Monroe County Legislature. But McFadden has indicated he will work with lawmakers to bring one forward.
Meanwhile, Daughtry found a place to live in the 19th Ward. Her new Landlord, Marty Rennert, likes the Section 8 program. He finds the required leases and rules help - not hurt - his business.
"As a landlord it's a risk-mitigator in every sense," said Rennert. "It puts a positive pressure on both the tenant and the landlord and ensures a good relationship."
Rennert suspects many landlords confuse Section 8 with rental assistance provided by social services. Rennert said there are fewer protections in social service rental assistance. However, Rennert is wary of a fair housing law. He said some landlords would put in place requirements such as making tenants pay first and last month's rents plus a security deposit. In other words, the landlords would make sure Section 8 recipients would not be able to rent their properties.
Daughtry likes the idea of a fair housing law.
"It would give people like me a chance and an opportunity to do better to go better places, and to establish a better environment for my children," she said.
She is married to the gubmint.
Anytime Section 8 pays, and there is no deposit to keep for damages and cleaning up....well, what the heck do they care, it’s free.
However, some tenants can tear up an anvil, even if not on Section 8....had my share of damages to repair as a landlord, enough is enough.
Ye
Not surprised, I won’t take section 8. Also won’t take a single mother, as she will be unevictable.
correct, and then the lanlord must repair to hud standards. tenants responible for repairs under $100. their trick is to hold them until the yearly inspection and the landlord gets stuck with the cost of the repair. no money for rent but big screen tv and kids eating crab for dinner, take out of course.
When prospects refused to give employment info, saying there was no need to know just take my /drug/ money we got out of the business. made the places nice enough that we would live in them but only one out of 20 ever appreciated the effort and kids swing from ceiling fans and trash the place. Ran heaters dry, then complained there was not heat, we were stuck with repairing the heater. They don’t know ‘nuffin’ until you get them in court, then they know renters rights inside out.
This is a lot like forcing physicians to take Medicare and Medicaid.
Soon we’ll get to the point where Commie/Dem party officials will come in and take control of private housing property and force landlords to accept welfare constituents.
Anyone remember the scene from Dr. Zhivago?
“There was living space for thirteen families! In this one house!”
“Yes, this is a better arrangement, comrades. More just.”
We have a section 8 renter in our neighborhood and a great neighbor. The guy is disabled.
There’s always exceptions. If a good person in trouble is helped, that’s OK by me. But, on average, it seems from what I’ve heard that more often Section 8 brings neighborhoods down, especially when it is used by a large portion of people in a dense apartment building.
I saw a heart wrenching you tube video on a man and his wife who had to move and could not sell their house during the real estate crash. It was an antique home and they put every penny, blood, sweat and tears into restoring the house.
They took in a section 8 tenant who proceeded to wreck the house beyond comprehension. He had before and after pictures. He was so heart broken and there was no possibility of recovery. It was unbelievable to him and to me that human beings could wreck a beautiful place so completely.
I doubt that all section 8ers are like this. But if you get burned one time, it’s too much to risk unless you are a billionare.
Thats not true.
I manage a 108 unit complex. We don’t take Section 8 but there is a place about a 1/4 mile away from us that is all Section 8. They cut through our property as a shortcut to the grocery store. On their way back they push the grocery carts through our lot and then leave them when they have to climb up the hill to get to the path back to their place.
The punk kids frequently look inside the cars in our parking lot.
Its the landlord that does not keep the property up. If the property is not kept up thats not the renters fault. Im not saying section 8 renters cant be a problem but i view the landlord is as much of the problem. We have ten rentals. Each one a good situation because we have good renters and we keep our properties perfect.
I have had many homes left in that condition, the worst is when the leave EBT purchased meat in the freezer that has had no electricity for weeks.
When a Sec 8 tenant actually has to pay $1.00 or whatever, things begins to go downhill fast, they begin to have a victims attitude.
I had one that couldn't/wouldn't pay her portion of the rent, always around the 8th to 10th. She had the nerve to ask me to change the due date to the 15th. Hell no, then you wouldn't pay until the end of the month, fergusonite idiot.
They are not totally Stupid, they do know how to work every angle of the System. You know that really takes time effort and energy to do that.
LaTanya - your forfeit the right to complain when you expect everyone else to pay for your housing, food, heating, medical, education, etc.
Plus, property owners know what everyone else with common sense knows. Section 8 gibsmedats trash the property, and once the squat there, are almost impossible to evict for due cause.
My brother is a slum lord. He buys small one bedroom apartments in iffy parts of town. He won’t rent them to anyone except older people on social security. He says they pay their rent on time every month. Lol
http://www.news9.com/story/25469458/police-arrest-woman-accused-of-selling-drugs-near-del-city-school
She and hers did all the things you stated and more. She would always play the timid little ignorant thing, until you crossed her then the Beach would come out, as you can see by her picture in the link, that's the real her.
I looked into it once, and I think I would pass, but not with flying colors. I never sought a Section 8 inspection.
If you do pass with flying colors are you eligible for a higher subsidy? I wasn’t clear on that.
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