RUNNING HEAD: Poverty and Section 8
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Poverty and the Cost of Section 8 Housing
Angelica Colon
Western Connecticut State University
RUNNING HEAD: Poverty and Section 8
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Across the United States there are roughly 34 million people who are currently living in
poverty. Growing up in poverty is a very serious social issue that ultimately affects the course of
a person’s life. It is linked to substandard housing, food insecurity, lack of access to health care,
unsafe neighborhoods, and underfunded schools. Living under any of these conditions leads to
low standing of living, which can take a toll on a person’s mental and physical health, not to
mention their overall quality of life.
There are roughly 5 million low-income households, of the 34 million people, that
receive some form of renter’s assistance to help them get by. 2.1 million of these families are
receiving assistance from Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. 68% of the individuals
receiving assistance are seniors, children, or people with disabilities (National and State Housing
Fact Sheets & Data, 2019). Section 8 housing is a federal government program that assists low
income families to be able to afford safe, sanitary, and low-cost housing that is in the private
market. Those who receive section 8 are able to live in apartments, townhouses, and singlefamily homes. These individuals are given vouchers that allow them to find their own housing as
long as it meets the requirements of the housing program. The issue our society is facing is that
millions of people are living paycheck to paycheck daily and are not able to afford decent
housing. When a family is approved for section 8 it gives them the opportunity to not only be
able to move into better neighborhoods for their children, but it allows them to have a little extra
financial freedom to try to break the poverty cycle, while still having a safe, stable place that
they can come home to. It is said that section 8 is “arguably the most important federally
subsidized housing program. Presently, it is larger in terms of households served than the
conventional federal public housing program itself. The program's significance is also likely to
RUNNING HEAD: Poverty and Section 8
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increase. This growth will likely continue as many cities tear down public housing projects built
one or two generations ago and offer vouchers to displaced residents” (Sterken, 2009).
Housing assistance has been available in the United States since 1937, when Congress
passed the U.S. Housing Act. This act being put into place allowed for the financing of public
housing units for low income families however, it wasn’t until years of economic and social
pressures, that the first version of the section 8 program was established. In 1974, the Housing
and Community Development Act created a subsidized tenant-based housing program, that
would soon be known as Section 8. During this time “Subsidies were granted to certain
residential properties to house Section 8 housing recipients. This act was the beginning of the
modern era of income-based housing” (Miller, 2019). This act was the start of something big that
would ultimately go on to help assist millions of people.
For Section 8 recipients, they are only able to use their vouchers at properties that accept
them. Property owners are able to screen anyone for background history with a section 8 voucher
who applies to rent the property. The property must meet all of the requirements and undergo an
inspection prior to the tenant moving in. For the purpose of this paper, I was able to interview
my boyfriend’s dad who is the landlord of a three-family apartment complex that accepts Section
8. When I spoke with Mr. Arthur, we began to discuss the benefits and harms of being a landlord
of Section 8 apartments. He shared with me that being a landlord to Section 8 housing is
beneficial because Section 8 housing has set requirements and standards while also offering and
ensuring a stable monthly payment for their housing as long as all the standards are met. These
standards include, but are not limited to, ensuring that the wiring is safe, paint is clean, all
appliances are working, bathroom and plumbing has no leaks, and the hot/cold water works well.
RUNNING HEAD: Poverty and Section 8
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As far as the harm associated with being a Section 8 landlord, Mr. Arthur mentioned that
the risk related to providing Section 8 housing is that if you don't keep things up to standard you
will get your payment withheld or tenants can choose to default the payment if it is a mix of
section 8 and cash. Mr. Arthur said that participating in the section 8 program is optional because
you can also just choose to rent out the properties as cash or tenants without a section 8 but that
he personally chose to accept Section 8 recipients because the property surrounding already
supported Section 8 residents and he wanted to provide a place to stay for low income families
who are in need. However, he made sure to mention that some landlords he has crossed paths
with think that just because it is Section 8 housing and the money is consistent that they can
scrape by doing the bare minimum for their tenants and not making sure the apartment is up to
code for the families.
Economics plays a huge roll in Section 8 housing, without proper funding of this program
it would not exist. It is funded by the federal government and administered by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (Teater, 2008). In total, the Department of
Housing and Urban Development receives up to 53.8 billion dollars every year. Of that, 20.3
billion of that money goes to renew all of the Section 8 vouchers that families are receiving. In
addition to renewing all of the vouchers they also fund 19,000 new vouchers every year
(National and State Housing Fact Sheets & Data, 2019). If we take a look at Connecticut alone,
the section 8 voucher assistance payments are 380 million dollars a year. That 380 million is
divided and allocated to over 40 different public housing authorities who make the payments
each month. This money helps over 37,00 families each year by providing and renewing their
Section 8 vouchers.
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The alarming poverty rates in the United States for families especially those with children
is extremely alarming. On average, a family of four making under $26,200 is considered to be
extremely low income. Taking a look at what the average family on Section 8 pays, it is said that
they pay about an average of 30 percent of their income on rent. The voucher covers the other 70
percent. If a family’s income is 1,000 dollars a month then they would be paying 300 dollars a
month for their rent. That is far less than what a family would pay if they were not on any kind of
housing assistance such as section 8. While section 8 vouchers allow low income families to be
able to make ends meet every month, there are many families on the waiting list to receive
Section 8 vouchers. The section 8 voucher program is “still insufficient in providing decent,
affordable housing to all in need. The number of individuals and families eligible to receive
housing under the section 8 program is much greater than the current appropriations can support.
Therefore, a large amount of individuals and families are left to rent from the private market,
reside in concentrated and segregated public housing facilities, or double up with family and
friends while slowly moving up the waiting list (Teater, 2008). Unfortunately, the waiting lists
across the country can take anywhere from 2-6 years depending on how many rooms the family
needs. Some states have so many people on the waiting list that they end up having to close it,
leaving families with very little options. For low income families who are not on any kind of
housing assistance the price is steep. The average rent for a low-income family of four cost can
cost upwards to 1,060 a month. That number is steadily rising each year. There are over 10.7
million households who are paying over half of their monthly income solely on rent (National
and State Housing Fact Sheets & Data, 2019). Which puts these families at serious risk of
potentially becoming homeless as the chances of these families having any form of savings is
rare due to how much their cost of living is compared to the family’s income.
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This issue is deeply rooted to not only economics but social justice as well. Social justice
is the heart of social work in so many ways such as making sure everyone gets equal
opportunities and providing individuals the basic resources needed to succeed as members of
society. When families are living in poverty, they are not receiving the same amount of support
as families with higher socioeconomic statuses. Economic deprivation leads to years of
depression and stress. This is not only emotionally draining but can take a physical toll on the
body as well and decrease the life span of a person.
Structural issues such as racism and discrimination play a role in how people with low
income are seen, especially those who are a part of the section 8 program. Section 8 is often
stereotyped to be people of color who are living off of the government to survive and that they
are uneducated, which is not the case. Those on section 8 are low income families who need the
support and resources of our government to get back on their feet so that they have a better
chance of succeeding, not to be looked down upon by those who were privileged enough to be
born out of poverty. Even when section 8 was first put into place things were not in favor of
people of color as “most of these early projects were built for whites, and whites of a particular
kind: the “barely poor,” the upwardly mobile working class, with fathers working in factory jobs.
Housing agencies required tenant families to have stable work and married parents. Children out
of wedlock were rejected” (Badger, 2019). Those who truly needed it were shied away because
of the color of their skin. To this day landlords are able to discriminate against a person with a
section 8 voucher who sends in an application, in most states. Many families who used vouchers
“between 2016 and 2019 couldn’t use them before they expired. A 2018 Urban Institute study
found that landlords nationwide often refuse to accept vouchers. In Fort Worth, 78% of landlords
contacted by the Urban Institute wouldn’t take vouchers. In Los Angeles, it was 76%; in
RUNNING HEAD: Poverty and Section 8
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Philadelphia, 67%” (Vesoulis, 2020). While the 1968 Fair Housing Act makes it illegal for
landlords to deny housing based on race, religion, national origin, disability etc. There is no
federal law that can prevent landlords from denying potential tenants because of where their
check comes from.
Oftentimes, those who are receiving section 8 are encouraged to move to lower poverty
neighborhoods so that they have access to better schools, lower levels of crime and violence, and
a better chance of having an absence of negative influences. However, this is incredibly difficult
as “Discrimination against Section 8 recipients is particularly problematic because the most
appealing communities, which are likely to provide the greatest benefit to low-income residents,
are often the communities in which Section 8 participants are most likely to face discrimination”
(Sterken, 2009). As far a possible solution to lowering poverty rates which would in turn lower
the amount of people needing section 8 housing assistance would be to increase the minimum
wage all over the country. Doing so would not only increase the income of millions of
Americans who are struggling to pay rent and provide for their children by lifting them out of
poverty, but it can also increase how much consumers spend and can help the economy grow.
The Research literature suggests that promotion of mixed-income neighborhoods and residential
mobility is key for individuals who are currently receiving section 8 vouchers (Teater, 2008).
In regard to social work implications for populations-at-risk, based on the economic
information discovered about poverty and its connection to individuals who are receiving section
8. Advocacy, community education and resources are so incredibly important for those
experiencing poverty. Advocating is important because these individuals need to know that they
have people in their corner, even when they may not feel like it. They are in vulnerable situations
RUNNING HEAD: Poverty and Section 8
and as socials workers we must use our voices to advocate for those who can’t for themselves.
Community education programs is just one of the many ways to help promote economic justice
in communities by educating low income families on ways to help their selves and how to use
the resources available to them. Lastly, resources that are available whether it is through the
federal government or locally can drastically make a difference in a family’s life. These
resources include Food Stamps Program, Section 8, the Child Care and Development Fund, and
Earned Income Tax Credit are some of the many options that can ultimately assist a family and
give them a sense of security.
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RUNNING HEAD: Poverty and Section 8
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References
Badger, E. (2019, April 26). How Section 8 became a 'racial slur'. Retrieved December 05, 2020,
from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/15/how-section-8became-a-racial-slur/
Miller, M. (2019, January 9). What You Need to Know About How Section 8 Really Works.
Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.propublica.org/article/what-youneed-to-know-about-how-section-8-really-works
National and State Housing Fact Sheets & Data. (2019, December 10). Retrieved December
05, 2020, from https://www.cbpp.org/research/housing/national-and-state-housingfact-sheets-data
STERKEN, K. (2009). A Different Type of Housing Crisis: Allocating Costs Fairly and Encouraging
Landlord Participation in Section 8. Columbia Journal of Law & Social Problems, 43(2),
215–243.
Teater, B. (2008). Residential Mobility of Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Recipients:
Assessing Changes in Poverty and Racial Composition in Neighborhoods. Journal of
Poverty, 12(3), 351–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875540802198651
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Vesoulis, A. (2020, February 20). How Landlords Discriminate Against Housing Voucher Holders.
Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://time.com/5783945/housing-vouchersdiscrimination/