Category: Housing News

  Update: Since the writing of this blog post, the bill has been officially introduced to Congress. The challenge Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders face in finding a landlord that will accept their voucher may soon be significantly lessened. A landmark bill, titled The Landlord Accountability Act of 2016, was proposed last month by Congresswoman Nydia…

  Millions of Americans are searching for a decent, affordable home, yet they face an uphill battle. The private market is too expensive for households with limited resources, and housing assistance is scarce. According to Out of Reach 2016, a full-time worker working 40 hours a week for all 52 weeks of the year needs to earn $20.30…

    After waiting for several months or years on a waiting list to finally obtain a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, the final step to receive rental assistance has been a significant hurdle for many voucher holders. After receiving a housing voucher, the search begins to find a landlord that will accept that voucher. However, many voucher holders lose their…

    Note: In November 2016, HUD announced that the rule will become official policy nationwide. Read more about this on our blog here. A controversial policy proposed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was recently announced, which would disallow the smoking of tobacco products on all Public Housing premises. While this…

For decades, it has been a difficult hurdle for persons who have a criminal record to receive affordable housing assistance. The Unites States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been fairly broad in allowing housing authorities and owners of affordable housing properties to use their own discretion in denying assistance, terminating assistance, or evicting individuals who have…

  Each Wednesday, Dave Layfield, our founder and resident affordable housing expert, does a live video chat with our users at 3:00 pm ET on Blab.im. He usually spends an hour or more answering users’ questions about affordable housing assistance. Users can come on camera live with Dave and ask any question. Most of the…

  On July 21, 2015, HUD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released an audit report entitled “Overincome Families Residing in Public Housing Units” (Audit Report Number: 2015-PH-002). The audit looked at the number of current residents of public housing whose income exceeds the maximum income required to initially qualify for public housing. The results reported…

    Arguments, fights and even riots have have been rare, but persistent occurrences during Section 8 waiting list openings that require applicants to visit an office. Long lines form for several hours, people who are in desperate need of assistance confront each other, and the process to receive an application is similar to what…

    Affordable housing residents in several public communities throughout the country will soon have access the Internet at little-to-no cost. In mid-July, President Obama announced a new Federal program aimed to provide free or low-cost Internet access in select Public Housing and other affordable housing properties. Currently, the focus is on 28 public communities in Albany, Atlanta and Macon, GA;…