Housing Authority 'Charging for Everything'

"Gorham said the housing authority is adding the appliance fee because the utility costs have been increasing and the large screen plasmas cost more to run than regular television sets.

'We just want people to start thinking another way about living,' Gorham said. 'And the costs — we are looking at how we can really decrease some of the overall maintenance costs of these units, because it's costing us a fortune.'

Gorham said if the Housing Authority did not charge for the televisions, residents might have to pay for their own electricity, instead of having the costs divided equally among all tenants and reflected in the rent.

'If we don't put controls in [place], further down the road, folks are going to have to take on the costs themselves,' Gorham said. 'Yes, it's affordable housing, but the cost to operate is fast getting out of reach for housing authorities.'"