Voucher program Short Changing poor, study says
Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at 03:51PM
TheSpook
Nearly 52,000 families could be forced to pay more rent because
housing agencies are short $93 million to pay for a voucher program
that helps primarily poor Americans, a group of housing officials says.
And complicated Section 8 housing voucher guidelines prevent some $300
million in surpluses from being used to bridge the shortfall, according
to a study by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment
Officials. The money would be returned to the U.S. Treasury instead of
being sent to housing agencies in a deficit, the study said. ''The
biggest concern is that there is a precipitous drop in the ability to
serve low-income households around the country,'' the association's
executive director, Saul Ramirez, said Tuesday in Baltimore, where the
group was holding its annual conference. The organization counts nearly
3,000 housing and community development agencies as members. Housing
and Urban Development authorities disputed that, saying no money has
been returned to the Treasury this year and that any surpluses could
not be totaled up until fall 2005 because housing agencies go by
different fiscal year periods. [more
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