Section 8 voucher program (Chicago, Evergreen Park, Detroit: middle-class, rent, homes)

[Imdisabledsection8scum]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

In order to avoid Section 8, you can generally pull credit on people. Few people with excellent credit will qualify for Section 8. You as a landlord can come up with a host of other reasons to disqualify Section 8 tenants, but start first with their credit score.

You can also demand 1-2 months security deposit. The government is not going to force you to rent to Section 8 tenants, especially accidental landlords who are renting out 1 unit.

I wonder if you have ever spoken to a Section 8 Worker so that they could tell you the requirements and the safeguards in place now so that Section 8 clients can not destroy property?

I wonder if you have ever been to one of the Section 8 meetings in which clients and community come together?

I wonder if I was your sister and had the unfortunate life occurrence that happened to me through no fault of my own ... would you rather me try to live independently of you or ... would you rather that I live with you or ... perhaps it would be better for everyone if I just died.

You know, just get rid of the scum ... that worthless person who worked hard for 35 years ... who gratefully has a Section 8 voucher ... who lives quietly and cleanly.

[ajolotl]

I'm sure the Section 8 program was exactly designed to help out in situations like yours. It sounds like it has worked very well in this case and we should all be grateful that it exists. Thank you for the testimony. I could easily find myself in the same position some day so I have no right being a critic of the program. Stereotyping is an awful thing.

That said, any time there is government assistance there are a huge number of people who are legitimately helped out, and probably a larger number who take advantage of the system. It's hard to separate the two groups. Statistically speaking, if a few section 8 families move onto my block I'm likely to get some of the latter group. The south side is wobbly enough to begin with (everyone knows the history) and when people who for the most part aren't rich paying between 300K to $1M for homes it's natural to be a little paranoid. I wish I could reconcile these two views but there is some value to each. Talk is cheap when there is no money at stake. I do concede that I'm not being totally fair, though.

Originally Posted by Imdisabledsection8scum

What happened many years ago is no longer true. The rules are stricter now and inspections are made yearly.

I am a college graduate white woman who after working 35 years was disabled by a 16 year old who drove through a stop sign (I was the 3rd person she hurt in the 6 months she had her license). From the age of 16, I worked while going to high school and then college. I never married. I don't drink, do drugs, or make any noise. My choice is Section 8 voucher or death.

I have had every penny of my security deposits returned to me when I have moved. Every one of my landlords say that they will rent to Section 8 clients again, because they had such a good experience with me and with Section 8 paying on time.

[Humboldt1]

I am sorry for your life experiences. Perhaps you had bad experiences with money as I am surprised that a single person with no children and a college degree would qualify for Section 8. After 35 years of working, perhaps you were not able to save up to be economically self-sufficient.

If all Section 8 recipients were like you, landlords like me would not hesitate to go Section 8. However, this is not the case.

Section 8 or death is a bit dramatic.

What is the nature of your injury that you are not able to work? I understand a car accident could have done numerous things to you.

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Originally Posted by Humboldt1

I am sorry for your life experiences. Perhaps you had bad experiences with money as I am surprised that a single person with no children and a college degree would qualify for Section 8. After 35 years of working, perhaps you were not able to save up to be economically self-sufficient.

A college degree has nothing to do with being eligible for housing assistance, and neither does assets. Like I posted earlier, half of Section 8 renting families do not have children... you don't need children to qualify.

[Humboldt1]

I can see why Section 8 is often a code word for poor blacks in Chicago.

Based upon the stats provided by the CHAC for Section 8 recipients:
3% White
11% Hispanic
86% Black

Chicago is roughly 1/3 black, 1/3 white, and 1/3 Hispanic. This means that blacks are 8 times more likely than Hispanics to be on Section 8 and 29 times more likely to be on Section 8 than whites. I can see how Section 8 Tenants are stereotyped as being mostly black. This is certainly the case in Chicago.

In Humboldt Park, half of the Section 8 recipients I know are black and the other half I have met are Hispanic, almost all Puerto Rican.

I will continue to avoid renting to Section 8. Perhaps in the future, when I have larger apartment buildings I may be forced to do Section 8 thru government mandate (I believe it is above 12 units, but not sure), but until the government makes me I will continue to not rent to Section 8.

[dontquestionme]

you are wrong all races are on section 8

[potter]

Originally Posted by dontquestionme

you are wrong all races are on section 8

Read Humboldts statistical demographic breakdown in the above response genious. Blacks in Chicago dominate section 8- this is the stats- no reason to try an dispute the stats.

[ajolotl]

This is a solid argument. Maybe you can chime in on my CPS test score thread.

Originally Posted by dontquestionme

you are wrong all races are on section 8

[Humboldt1]

What are the statistical demographic breakdowns for CPS test scores?

Dontquestionme,

All I did was post the stats. Blacks dominate Section 8.

How do people fare, based upon demographics, on test scores?

[BRU67]

I think the Section 8 program is well-intentioned. Take people who live in concentrated poverty and move them into "mixed income" areas so the aforesaid individuals can see white folks with brief cases going to work in the morning, at which time they'll rush off to the admission's office of the closest college or university in a mad scramble to emulate them.

It really is a nice ideal. But in practice, there are some problems, which is why many communities are not overly receptive to it. There are some, shall we gently say, differences in mores and values between most of those who require public assistance in order to live and middle and upper middle class people who have taken the initative to educate themselves and hold down jobs. Not sure how much emulation we can realistically hope to generate.

There's also the troublesome liberal idea that white middle and upper middle class people are largely racist and will flee when faced with diversity and destroy the community. Whether that is morally right or wrong aside for a moment, would you want to mix those in need of help in with people like that when you know what the end result is going to be? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

I understand that we need to have public assistance and it has the potential to do society good, but the whole thing really needs to be redesigned from the ground up.