Section 8 Housing [Reader Post]

In case you did not know what section 8 housing is, the government pays a portion of a family’s rent (as much as 100% of it).  Almost all of these families are single Black females with 3 or more children (based upon applicants which I have seen in person—I can recall 1 white applicant and 1 Hispanic applicant over the past 10 or more years).  I have had periods of time when my only applicants were section 8 people.

Once these women get section 8 housing, they seek to hold onto it for as long as they can (20 or more years, if possible).  That means, no marriage, no taking a better job, no working 2 jobs, etc.  If you are careful enough, and keep your income low enough, then you can get the government to pay for 100% of your housing and food.  There is some possible corruption, because I have had section 8 people spoken to by the counselors to try to get them to take housing other than mine (although I have a perfect record with section 8 as a landlord).  From what I can figure out, there are builders building new houses specifically for section 8, that they will hold and lease out only to section 8 people (I suspect that there is some paying under the table, but that is only an unconfirmed suspicion of mine).  I have had some section 8 women turn up their noses at properties of mine because they were too old (“That house is 20 years old; no thank you”).

I have one very nice house which is huge (3600 sq ft) and half of the people who have called me on this house are section 8.  I am unaware of how many people are on section 8.  I know that for my rentals, about half of the people who call me (maybe a little less) are section 8 applicants.

Now, just because a person is section 8, it does not mean they are a bad person, trashy, or whatever.  If the government said, “This is money for you to get a nice house” you might be willing to take it too.  How many here have taken an FHA loan?  That is a government program.

I have had section 8 people who have trashed my house; and I have had section 8 people who have kept the house nice.  I have had section 8 people who have lied to me and the government; and others who have been above-board about everything.

Obviously, this is Democrats buying votes, and the cost is huge (figure $800-$1200/month for 1000’s of families in every major city in the United States).   If you wonder why your property taxes are high, this is one of the reasons.

I have no idea how many people are on section 8; I don’t know if the government releases those stats.  I think that we would all be shocked.

One more thing; here is how a recent program worked.  A woman paid me about $200/month and section 8 paid me about $900/month.  Section 8 set aside matching funds for what she paid, and applied that to the purchase of a home on her behalf (yes, her income and credit would not have qualified her to buy a home).  Of course, she was able to get the house for virtually nothing out of her pocket.

You may think I am a terrible person for taking on section 8 tenants, but financially, I have to make a judgment; do I take a section 8 tenant today, or do I wait a couple of months (in one case, a year) without a tenant?  When I began buying houses, there was no such thing as section 8 (insofar as I know).

Someone else posted this link in the comments, but I am sure it will interest many of you.