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.
They will argue with you, and ask why not? Because I don't have to that's why. Of course that is not the answer they wanted to hear, they wanted to hear some type of racist remark.
Bttt
In this sense it once meant “the expectation of the estimator is equal to the value of the parameter” as the statisticians would say.
In less arcane terms, “the probability that you will be approved for housing is equal to your risk level.”
But that got contorted to “the renter will be given every benefit of the doubt.”
Some of my favorite sayings:
Nobody owes you a living, so shut up and get back to work. (courtesy if my Father)
You help People who CAN’T help themselves, not People who WON’T help themselves. (courtesy of my Late Mother)
A Liberal’s Compassion starts and ends at a Conservative’s Wallet. (courtesy of me)
>>>The goal of Section 8 was to give poor people the freedom to move where they want<<<
I want to move to an Oceanfront Home in Malibu.
Where do I sign up?
“You can take ‘em out of the jungle.....”
SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income and is welfare because it’s paid from Federal tax dollars and is “needs based”, ie. income driven. The only thing you’re accurate about is that it’s administered by the Social Security Administration. People receive it if they claim and apply for Social Security Disability but haven’t worked enough to qualify for disability. The threshold for proving your disability is less than actual SSD from what I understand.
It is you who know nothing about SSI. Supplemental Security Income is NOT a Social Security funded program. They administer it but funds are taken from the government general fund. It is for those who haven’t worked and don’t qualify for Social Security. You are taking about SSDI Social Security Disability Income which IS a Social Security funded program under which have to qualify by working enough quarters. Go look it up. I did years ago on the SSA website.
Correction SSDI is Social Security Disability Insurance, not ‘income’ as I posted. SS and SSDI are based on insurance contributions through FICA when WORKING. SSI is not based on prior work. Last time I checked the SSA website, however, the SSI and SSDI payments to individuals amounted to more than 25% of total outlays by SSA.
Checked on the websites and there aren’t any Section 8 rentals in Malibu right now. :0)
If you’re interested, here’s a link to a CBP fact site on Section 8 that allows you to see how many Section 8 rentals there are in your state. In 2012, my state had 52,193 families on it.
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3586
In CA where I live, it’s only Half a Million or so.
Happy days are here again, the skies above are clear again.
It’s like a $16 billion dollar program throughout the US.
The purpose of Section 8 housing is to import Democrat voters into non-Democrat districts and overwhelm their vote.
Quite a video. He convinced me.
You can say that again! We have a house nearby that they made into a section 8 house....nothing but trouble every time a family moves in and out....most don't last 6 months and many are out in three or less.
What’ we've experienced here is they have no control of their kids at all...single mothers have live in boyfriends and they're are ALWAYS domestic happenings where police are called.
Then you have the crowd they travel with dropping by with the same mindset. And they all hang on their porch like couch potatoes. It's awful!!
Thank God they do not get new tenants very quick because they have to do so much recovery from the house after the last tenant leaves. So there are long stretches before the next bunch comes in.
Fortunately the neighborhood begins complaints early on, and frequently so they get tired of being harassed and move.
Here it comes....the demands for landlords to accept Section 8 or be accused of discrimination.
...”You get one Section 8 and many more follow - count on it. No self respecting homeowner wants to live anywhere near one”....
My son had to move, and so did all the other neighbors once a home was sold to section 8. It was a very nice housing development out in the country.....all the neighbors begged the former owners NOT to sell to section 8 housing...but they had to turn the house over fast.
Of course all that’s been written here began the first summer.....and all the former neighbors have all moved out. So the entire develpment is now section 8.
The very best way to rent is by word of mouth, but it can be difficult.
I used to marvel at people who had no apparent ability to pay the rent, who put in applications.
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