On Mar. 1, the King County Housing Authority (KCHA) suspended issuance of Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers due to impending sequestration.
These vouchers, used by low-income families to rent private apartments, will not be reissued once turned in by families who no longer need the services or are not eligible for assistance.
“Low-income families and individuals struggling with high unemployment in the aftermath of the recession or living on limited fixed incomes and dealing with rising housing costs should not be shut out of critical safety net programs because of gridlock in Washington, D.C.,” said Stephen Norman, executive director of the King County Housing Authority. “Sequestration will result in some 600 fewer families in our local communities receiving crucial rental assistance over the next year. Because rents are so high, many of these families may, quite literally, find themselves out on the street as a result of these arbitrary budget cuts.”
These budget cuts affect all federal programs and will also impact KCHA’s public housing program in terms of delaying apartment repairs and reducing management services.
“The longer this goes on, the more families will fall through the safety net,” Norman said. “The long-term cost to the community will grow.”
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