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.
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There are about 10,000 families who have been on the waiting list...
“Families”?
Doubt that.
More likely single women with clutches of bastard children. “
Comment of the day!!
Section 8 does not give you the $10,000 or $20,000 to repair or remodel your property after the “tenants” totally trash it and move out. Nobody in their right mind takes Section 8.
If you own rental property in a jurisdiction that is considering this kind of law, I have some advice: SELL NOW!
“Fair” housing.
“Fair” wages.
“Fair” freedom.
“Fair” speech.
“Fair” being whatever the TV networks make the most profit on- isn’t democracy wonderful?
Require tenants to abide by the rules. If they don’t evict them.
It usually is seldom a matter of income as is it of character.
Not every poor person is a cheat or someone seeking to trash a place.
When in doubt, check references particularly with previous landlords from whom a prospective renter has rented before.
If they require landlords to take Section 8, the number of rental properties would go down to 0.
And all from different baby-daddies.
The woman featured in the article says she’s a single mother with 2 boys. There’s no mention of the father(s). As far as I’m concerned, the father(s) should be paying for at least part of the rent, before the taxpayers should be asked to pay.
But then, that makes sense..
I detect Cloward-Piven in play here.
The Government would love to take over housing. So if they demand landlords accept Section 8, private citizens would no longer want to rent housing....So the only solution would be a Federal takeover of housing.
I couldn’t even watch all that bleeding heart crap about “LaTanya” and her uncited “disability”.
She ain’t disabled enough to not afford a nice wig, or the furnishings in her home. She’s disabled with what? She was outside walking with the kids and wasn’t limping or anything? She could speak and certainly could put on her wig in the morning. Disability my ass. This woman is a professional slack, period. She ain’t hit a lick of work since the dude she hooked up with dumped her trifling ass.
These people DESTROY homes because they have nothing invested in them. They destroy and they move on to the next one, the next time.
LaTanya, if you wants some extra money, find that no good jackass you lay down with and get him on Maury and then serve him a child support order.
We had tremendous problems with the Section 8
The other thing is the detailed inspection the government does before you can take section 8 at least here. I would have no problem taking the money but I do not have any units which could pass the inspection. The other scary thing is the state and counties are passing laws which codify the requirements the inspectors are looking for into law so you are constantly in violation when you have tenants.
If she got child support and alimony, she wouldn’t even need to wait for Section 8.
The real question though, why isn’t she married? Marriage is the best anti-poverty program around.
what is this woman’s “disability”?.....I’m sure it must be stress, or a bad knee or perhaps she’s got a personality disorder or maybe she’s just a lazy jerk?...
now that libtards are redefining families, they’re “families”. air quotes needed.
She couldn’t get the SNAP, the WICs the Section 8 if she was married. She’d only take the child support if she could hide it from the government. Otherwise, she’d have to work....that’s why.
Happened to my Brother, he was sent overseas and had a Property Managment Co. take care of his house, they rented it to a Section 8 woman with 4 rugrats and a boyfriend and within 6 months the placed was trashed. Broken windows, doors, flooded bathroom floors, broken appliances etc. When we finally got them out of there [they know all the ins and outs of the system and it took about anther 6 months to boot them out] they stole all the rest of the working appliances. Unbelivable! The school administration was disappointed that they left because they were the only Black kids in the school, BOO-HOO. We lost our Diversity.
LaTanya Is on disability. Injured vet or workplace injury do you suppose?
I think they make a great point. If the banks can turn these people down for mortgages, why can’t the landlords turn down section 8 renters?
It’s clear they can through other means.
Enforce the rules on ALL tenants, regardless of income status.
If a landlord doesn’t, he loses any rights to claim damages for property degradation beyond normal wear and tear.
Don’t expect tenants to follow the rules if management isn’t serious about them.
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