Minister Al-X

A Bad Winter For America's Poorest Citizens

More great news for the poor this winter.

The New York Times reports today that the New York Housing Authority will be receiving 50 million dollars less than what it needs to provide low-income housing assistance for the year.

The budget gap, part of a nationwide squeeze by the Bush administration in spending on housing programs, could mean that the authority would have to reduce the number of planned vouchers by more than 6,000 this year from the city's current 118,000. Agency officials have said they hope to avoid evicting any tenants, but will most likely cut back on new tenants and will not be able to replace those who leave.

"The burden this reality places on the city's public housing authority will be far-reaching and test our ability to assist families who need affordable housing and rely on Section 8 assistance," said Tino Hernandez, the housing authority's chairman. "The reality is our options are very limited, given the magnitude of the federal government's funding reduction."

But, at the same time, the article notes that HUD, which serves people with more income than those served by the NYCHA, has received an increase in funds.

The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development reported that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development had agreed to increase its financing for rent vouchers by $27 million. The department generally provides Section 8 vouchers to residents with higher incomes than the tenants of the Housing Authority, who are among the city's poorest residents.

Taken together, the various city agencies issue about 118,000 Section 8 vouchers at a cost of about $1 billion. The net loss to the city, given the increase and the shortfall, will be about $23 million.

I'm always amazed that anybody can afford to live in New York with the cost of housing and food, let alone those tens-, if not hundreds-, of-thousands of people who are at or under the poverty line.

posted by Anonymous @ 5:49 PM