It's hard to get Section 8 vouchers, and getting a voucher doesn't guarantee you'll find a place that will take them. Almost half of voucher recipients can't find a landlord who’ll accept them.
"The federal Housing Choice Voucher program, better known as Section 8, provides rental assistance to more than 2 million low-income people, but that’s about one-fourth of those who are eligible," Aaron Schrank reports for Market Place. In Los Angeles, where rents are up, the Section 8 vouchers waiting list opened up this October for the first time in 13 years.
Only a fraction of those eligible for Section 8 apply, but there's no guarantee they will get on it. "Even with a voucher, there’s no guarantee you’ll find a landlord who will take it. Recipients have just six months to sign a lease or lose their voucher altogether. In LA, only 60 percent are successful," Schrank writes.
Valerie Stacker a retiree who shares a room with her grandson, applied for Section 8 and didn't get picked for the waiting list. "If she can’t find assistance elsewhere, Stacker can always reapply for Section 8 when Los Angeles opens its waiting list again in another decade or so," Schrank reports.
FULL STORY: It's a long wait for Section 8 housing in U.S. cities
Los Angeles May Bar Source-of-Income Housing Discrimination
Officials hope that improving access to housing for people who use voucher programs will help prevent homelessness in the city.
L.A. Councilmember Proposes Social Housing Model
Inspired by the success of Vienna, Austria, Los Angeles leaders are considering public housing as a faster, more effective way to curb the city’s homelessness crisis.
Enforcing Housing Discrimination Laws Falls Largely on Tenants, Nonprofits
With few enforcement mechanisms even in cities that have bans on source-of-income discrimination on the books, it’s up to nonprofit lawyers and tenants to sue landlords for retribution.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
.jpg){kind=link}
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie