Section 8 Hits the Suburbs

The federal rental assistance vouchers known as Section 8 are increasingly putting low-income families into empty homes in the suburbs.

1 minute read

June 27, 2011, 2:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg

The results have been good for some neighborhoods, where once-vacant and crime-prone houses re now filled with people and pulling in steady rent checks from the government.

"A steadily dropping homeownership rate, 5 million to 11 million more foreclosures in the pipeline, and a raft of investors buying them up have led to a proliferation of rentals in the land of lawns and cul-de-sacs.

But as housing prices keep slipping and the economy remains shaky, there's been another shift as more landlords view the approximately 2 million American families with a Section 8 voucher - which essentially subsidizes fair-market rent for people who can't afford it - as among the best ways to fill an empty house."

FULL STORY: Housing vouchers a golden ticket to pricey suburbs

Saturday, June 25, 2011 in The Washington Post

Government / Politics Housing United States Suburbs Section 8 Rentals Homes View More

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