Wrecking Section 8
The Bush administration hasput America's most widely-used public housing program, Section 8, in jeopardy. As the president lobbies tirelessly to make his costly tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, the supposedly "compassionate conservative" White House"is changing the nation's largest program of housing assistanceso that, for the first time,the government no longer is promising to pay the full cost of rent vouchers that help nearly 2million poor families."
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Affordable Housing in Crisis
Cuts in federal housing subsidies for the poor place tenants insome cities at risk of losing subsidized housing,and financial institutions are beginning toexpress doubts about continuing to participate in the kindsof development projects that have built much of the nation's affordable housing. [more]
OUTCRY FROM public housing agencies and governors across the country persuaded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last weekto ease the pain of a rulechangethat threatened toforce hundreds of poor families off federal rent assistance. But thehelp offeredso far applies only halfa Band-Aid to theproblem of how agencies will maintain their rental vouchers this year while the Bush administration tries to curb Section 8 costs. The pain, apparently, is merely postponed. [more]