Vulnerable People and Places Blog

Section 8 housing, also known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program , is a federal program in the United States designed to assist low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled in affording decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. The program is administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and managed locally by Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). First of all: Who is eligible? Eligibility is primarily based on two criteria: income (you total annual gross) and your citizenship status. Regarding income, there are limits set at 50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area. However, by law, a PHA must provide 75% of its vouchers to applicants whose incomes do not exceed 30% of the area's median income. Your citizen status will also impact eligibility, as vouchers are limited to U.S. citizens and non-citizens who have eligible immigration status. However, there are other factors which include eviction history and criminal b...

 It's 2024, and not only is the Portland Oregon area experiencing one of the worst winters in recorded history, it's also U.S. primary election season. Without delving too deeply into the political side of Portland Oregon, it's important to note the climates (both literally and figuratively) because I've learned over the years that the resources and services available for some of our most vulnerable populations largely depends on who is in office. I don't mean who our president is, I'm talking about all levels of government because almost anyone who can pick up a mobile device can easily recognize that any Nations "Commander in Chief" is really just a political puppet, sure they're the head puppet but they're a pawn in a rigged game of who has the power. For this reason, I am thankful the United States at least has term limits for the President because it's evident that with enough money and resources, you won't be impeached, or convic...

  Image courtesy of istockphoto.com   Monica* is a 61-year-old disabled woman working three jobs to make her ends meet. She makes roughly $2,500 a month, pays $1500 for rent, $300 for car, plus add in bills and food and it becomes impossible to save any money. Monica’s rent is going up, and she needs cheaper housing. She needs to drop two jobs because she physically cannot work that much, but if she does this, she will be homeless. Monica applied for several waitlists for federally funded housing, housing vouchers, section 8, section 42, and more. She isn't old enough for senior housing (age 62). She was denied every time for “making too much money” to meet income restrictions or “not enough money” to meet 3x rent for the apartments. She would literally need to be homeless to get help. And even then, some places require jobs, a specific monthly income, and base your income on last year’s tax return.   Post COVID-19 the housing voucher and housing assistance waist lists ha...