Social Programs and Services
Social Services
In 1937, as a response to the great depression and United States’ citizens struggling to
afford housing, the United States government passed the U.S. Housing Act of 1937. The goals of
this act as outlined by the act its self was to “improving the living environment for public
housing residents of severely distressed public housing projects through the demolition,
rehabilitation, reconfiguration, or replacement of obsolete public housing Projects,” “revitalizing
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sites (including remaining public housing dwelling units) on which such public housing projects
are located and contributing to the improvement of the surrounding neighborhood,” “providing
housing that will avoid or decrease the concentration of very low-income families,” and
“building sustainable communities” (US Housing Act of 1937). This act introduced section 8
programs which created government housing for low-income households as well as programs
which assisted with paying for rent from private landlords. The Housing Act of 1937 was
instrumental in the creation of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 which
expanded section 8 programs to offer new affordable housing, rejuvenate already existing
housing so they would be safe and hospitable, and increase the funding that went into section 8
programs (An Overview of the Section 8 Housing Programs: Housing Choice Vouchers and
Project-Based Rental Assistance). In 1983, the section 8 program received yet another change,
the inclusion of section 8 vouchers (An Overview of the Section 8 Housing Programs: Housing
Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Rental Assistance). These vouchers aided in the cost of rent
while also allowing people to choose where they want to live.
Presenting Problem
During the great depression the United States government knew they needed to do
something to help its citizens. The great depression’s effects were felt by nearly all Americans
but especially men who worked labor jobs. These men would lose their current job, and because
so many other men were also being laid off, there was a surplus of workers and a deficit of jobs.
During this time, the goal of section 8 was to help subsidize the cost of housing. In the 1970s
another act was passed which looked to help not just the factory workers who lost their jobs like
back in the 30s but to help any household that severely needed assistance in finding housing they
could afford. During this time the United States economy was the lowest it had been in nearly
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four decades. While the economy wasn’t as bad as it had been during the great depression the
government still knew it needed to step in and help its struggling citizens. The unemployment
rates during the 1973-1975 were around 10% of the U.S. population, while not as bad as the
unemployment rate of the great depression 10% is still a substantial portion of the population.
Those people who faced unemployment needed financial assistance to help pay for their housing,
which is why it was important for the United States government to revitalize the Housing Act of
1937 and find ways to help subsidize the cost of rent of the unemployed.
Prior to the inclusion of the voucher, people who relied on section 8 assistance didn’t get
many choices of where they could live, but with section 8 vouchers people would have more of a
say in where they lived. The hope was that by allowing people to choose where they live rather
than telling them where they could live would “promote economically-mixed neighborhoods and
provide residential mobility among the recipients by enabling them to select housing and
neighbor-hoods of their choice” (Teater, 2010). Not only would the introduction of section 8
vouchers help the recipients but would also save the government money. “Studies emerged
showing that providing subsidies for use in newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated
housing was more expensive than the cost of providing subsidies in existing units of housing”
(An Overview of the Section 8 Housing Programs: Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based
Rental Assistance). Over time, section 8 programs have changed, but the core idea of helping
people pay for a place to live has remained steadfast.
Target Population
When the US Housing Act of 1937 was passed, the goal was to help industry workers and
day laborers who couldn’t find work as a result of the great depression. As time went on and
situations changed, so too did the populations that section 8 programs sought to help. According
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to a report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development which offers
insight into those helped by section 8 programs, there has been a total of 2,739,987 different
households helped from December 1st, 2021, to March 31st, 2023 (Resident Characteristics
Report). Of the households, 1,778,588 received assistance in the form of tenant-based vouchers,
which are often referred to as section 8 vouchers (Resident Characteristics Report). Of those
2,739,987 households, 75% were headed by minorities, 53% of which were black non-Hispanic
(Tenant-Based Rental Assistance). Unfortunately, this is not surprising given the long history of
the United States’ history regarding the subjugation and exploitation of African Americans. In
2016 the average white household’s net worth was $171,000 while the average black household
was only $17,150 (McIntosh et al., 2020). This helps to outline how even in the 21st century the
disparity between black and white households is evident. After centuries of explicit and implicit
slavery and racism black people unsurprisingly continue to struggle in a country designed by and
for white people.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the average income in terms of median
household income was $67,521 a year, compare this to the average income of those receiving
section 8 assistance which is $15,073 (Tenant-Based Rental Assistance). In 2021 the US Census
Bureau reported that there was roughly 330 million people living in the United States, of those
330 it was reported that around 37.9 million Americans lived in poverty. (Poverty in the United
States: 2021). Despite being ranked the number one wealthiest country based on financial assets
per capita there are still 37.9 million Americans that struggle to support themselves financially.
The United States is one of the few developed countries that has a serious wealth inequality
issue. The 1% of the wealthiest American continue to amass more and more wealth while the
income of the working- and middle-class barley increase despite inflation containing to grow.
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While the United States doesn’t currently have an unemployment crisis if it continues down the
path it currently is more and more people will struggle to make ends meet because the top 1%
want to see infinite growth even if that means raising prices while not raising wages.
Program Eligibility
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a family is
eligible for section 8 assistance in the form of vouchers if the “family's income [does] not exceed
50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which the family chooses to
live” (Housing Choice Voucher Program Section 8). However, there are also additional
stipulations. “[Public Housing Authorities] must provide 75 percent of its vouchers to applicants
whose incomes do not exceed 30 percent of the area median income” (Housing Choice Voucher
Program Section 8). This means that while anyone who makes less than 50% of the median
income for their area is eligible, 75% of the people who receive section 8 vouchers must make
30% or less. Section 8 programs don’t simply look at the Houshold's income, but how that
income compares to the area in which they live. In order to be eligible for public housing through
section 8 programs, households must make less than 80% of the median income for the area
(HUD'S Public Housing Program). Rather than looking at the poverty line at the national or state
level, section 8 programs look at how a household’s income compares to the income of those
around them. This is done to help find those who need assistance the most. It is admirable to
offer assistance to those who need it the most, but these guidelines end up excluding those who
are struggling but not struggling enough in the eyes of the government. The United States
government was created with the intention of being a government by the people and for the
people, yet the government choses how hard a household needs to be struggling before they
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should step in and offer assistance. If the government truly cared about its citizens, it would offer
assistance to all those who struggle and not just those who struggle slightly more.
Financing
Section 8 programs are conducted by Public Housing Authorities, which receive funding
from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The total amount spent by the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance in
2022 was 30.4 billion, 25 billion of which went towards “contract renewals”. The U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development includes section 8 public housing, section 8
vouchers, and special purpose vouchers in this category. According to the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, the average household receiving assistance still pays $387 of
their rent while the programs pay an average of $785 of the rent (Tenant-Based Rental
Assistance). This means that roughly 21.67 billion goes towards paying for the section 8
programs to help the households. Section 8 programs don’t pay the entirety of a household’s
rent, instead the government subsidizes the cost of rent to varying levels depending on the
household’s income. There are four different levels of who much the household’s contribute
towards their rent, these levels are “30 percent of the monthly adjusted income”, “10 percent of
monthly income”, “welfare rent”, “a $25 minimum rent or higher amount (up to $50) set by an
[Housing Agency]” (HUD'S Public Housing Program). The “welfare rent” level refers to tenants
who have their share of the section 8 rent paid for by a public agency. The intention is that the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development doesn’t pay for the entirity of the
household’s rent. This allows the government to save money and offer assistance to more people
without having to increase the budget of section 8 programs. While the main reason is to save the
government money a byproduct of this choice is that some households may feel that they are
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receiving assistance rather than a handout, for some this may feel like a negative while for others
it might be seen as a positive. Some households will be frustrated that they are struggling and
still need to pay part of their rent, while others will feel that by doing this the government has
offered them support without implying that they can’t pay for anything on their own.
Organizations
Funding for section 8 programs is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development. Over half of the households which receive section 8 assistance receive assistance
in the form of the section 8 voucher. The vouchers are distributed by Public Housing Authorities.
Nationally, as of March 31st, 2023, there are 920,194 public housing units which are managed
by around 3,330 Housing Authorizes (HUD'S Public Housing Program). According to the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development it is the job of Housing Authorities to “assure
compliance with leases,” “set other charges (e.g., security deposit, excess utility consumption,
and damages to unit),” “perform periodic reexaminations of the family's income at least once
every 12 months,” “transfer families from one unit to another, in order to correct over/under
crowding, repair or renovate a dwelling, or because of a resident's request to be transferred”,
“terminate leases when necessary,” and “maintain the development in a decent, safe, and sanitary
condition” (HUD'S Public Housing Program). In summary it is the job of Housing Authorities to
make sure that section 8 tenants are being treated fairly by their landlords, make sure that the
tenants are living in adequate housing and if they aren’t, it’s the job of the Housing Authority to
find temporary housing while the issues are dealt with, or move them into a new unit entirely if
the situation is severe enough, and check once a year to make sure the family is paying an
appropriate portion of rent in regards to the household’s income.
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Housing Authorities are private corporations which tend to be 501c corporations, which
means that they are tax exempt non-profit agencies. They typically receive grants from the
United States government to purchase and maintain housing units as well as being the authorities
when it comes to distributing section 8 vouchers which are entirely funded by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development. While the Housing Authorities supply the
vouchers, they are not branches of the government nor are they the ones who help subsidize the
recipients' rent. While it seems strange at first that the government would give a corporation
which is not part of the government a highly sought after resource it makes some sense. If the
government ran governmental agencies whose job it was to offer section 8 assistance, they would
have to spend money on salaries, operational costs, and pay for office spaces. By side stepping
these costs and outsourcing the costs and labor to private corporations the government is able to
save money.
Effectivity
While section 8 programs help nearly 3 million Americans a year, the program still has
flaws. According to the United States Census Bureau, 37.9 mil­lion Americans live in poverty,
meaning that only 7% of people who live in poverty receive help through section 8 programs
(Poverty in the United States: 2021). Section 8 vouchers make up around 65% of the assistance
being offered through section 8 programs. Because of this, there are Public Housing Authorities
that have waited for section 8 vouchers for up to 10 years, and there are even wait lists which no
longer accept applicants (Teater, 2010). Of the households which are lucky enough to receive
section 8 vouchers, they have only between 60 and 120 days to find a new place to live and sign
the lease (Teater, 2010). Not only are the recipients given a small timeframe, but they often
receive very little support in finding a new home with the voucher. “Many recipients found the
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housing list insufficient in locating housing suitable to their wants and needs; therefore, the
recipients developed several other housing location tools, such as driving through neighborhoods
and searching newspapers.” (Teater, B., 2009, p. 275). The intention behind giving a time
requirement is to help house more people quickly but having a small-time frame while also
offering little assistance with finding housing that accepts section 8 vouchers is unacceptable.
An article released by the Harvard Law Review points out several sever flaws that come
from section 8 programs, “affordable housing programs, built on public funds, too often abuse
and humiliate tenants rath-er than protect and provide for them” “over surveilling and over
policing tenants are toxic twin undercurrents in most of our federally subsidized programs”
(Rockett, M., 2021). It is no secret that affordable housing complexes have often been built one
next to the other in areas of the cities that are considered undesirable. These complexes tend to
be visibly underfunded and tend to serve as a reminder that the tenants are poor rather than serve
their ideal purpose of helping people, instead these housing projects are a symbol of their
inhabitants struggles. It is also painfully obvious that housing projects are overpoliced yet when
their inhabitants need assistance no help is to be found. These housing projects, while intended to
be places of respite for those struggling financially, are in reality places where cities can cram
together their struggling inhabitants to make it easier to police them. Why would it come as a
surprise that a nation which is steadily embracing anti homeless architecture would view poverty
as a negative attribute of a person and not as an unfortunate situation that could be remedied.
While the initial intention was something to be applauded public housing has become a perverted
image of what it could have been.
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References
!An Overview of the Section 8 Housing Programs: Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based
Rental Assistance. Congressional Research Service. (2014, February 7). Retrieved May 1,
2023, from https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL32284/19
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Carlson, D., Haveman, R., Kaplan, T., & Wolfe, B. (2011). The Benefits and Costs of the Section
8 Housing Subsidy Program: A Framework and Estimates of First-Year Effects. JSTOR.
Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/23018982
Creamer, J., Shrider, E. A., Burns, K., & Chen, F. (2022, September 13). Poverty in the United
States: 2021. Census.gov. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from
https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/demo/p60-277.html
Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Public and Indian Housing. (n.d.).
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance.
https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CFO/documents/8_2022CJ-TBRA.pdf
Housing Choice Voucher Program section 8. HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD). (2022, January 11). Retrieved May 1, 2023, from
https://www.hud.gov/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8#hcv02
HUD’s Public Housing Program. (2017, September 20). HUD.gov / U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD). https://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance/phprog
McIntosh, K., Moss, E., Nunn, R., & Shambaugh, J. (2020, February 27). Examining the Blackwhite wealth gap. Brookings; Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/upfront/2020/02/27/examining-the-black-white-wealth-gap/
Teater, B. (2009). A place to call “home”: Exploring the experiences of Section 8 housing choice
voucher program recipients in their efforts to find housing. Families in Society: The
Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 90(3), 271–278. https://doi.org/10.1606/10443894.3892
Teater, B. A. (2010). A qualitative evaluation of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher
Program. Qualitative Social Work, 10(4), 503–519.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325010371242
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Resident characteristics report (RCR). U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD). (2023, March 31). Retrieved May 1, 2023, from
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/systems/pic/50058/rcr
United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended: Federal Works Agency, United States Housing
Authority (1939, September). Internet Archive.
https://archive.org/details/Housingact1937/page/n65/mode/2up
US Census Bureau. (2022, September 13). Poverty in the United States: 2021. Census.gov.
https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/demo/p60-277.html
Rockett, M. (2021). Private Property Managers, Unchecked: The Failures of Federal Compliance
Oversight in Project-Based Section 8 Housing. Harvard Law Review, 134(5).
https://harvardlawreview.org/forum/vol-134/private-property-managers-unchecked-the-failuresof-federal-compliance-oversight-in-project-based-section-8-housing/