May 2003 Owners Update

Owner Update “Question Of The Month”

Issue of the Month: Block granting the Voucher program to the States.
This month's„question is a departure from the usual format in order to let you know about some potentially big changes to the Section 8 Voucher program.

The Bush administration and HUD wants to change the way the Section 8 Voucher program is funded by sending the funds to the states in one big chunk called a „block grant,‰ and then let the states decide how and where the funds will be spent. HUD says the reason they want to do this is to give each state more flexibility to make the program look the way each state wants it to look.

Currently, housing authorities such as ours contract directly with HUD for funds, and the transfer is sent to us monthly for distribution to you, our program owners. Housing authorities, as well as low income housing organizations, don't think this system should be changed. We oppose block granting for the following reasons:

Getting states involved in this mix will add another level of regulation
and administration to a program that already is overburdened with many
rules and regulations (the program doesn't need 50 more sets of rules).
Historically block granting a program has resulted in the funding getting
reduced over time. The Federal Congress has tended to flat fund or reduce the budget amount for block granted programs. States then have to figure out how to make up the difference, thus creating another unfunded mandate for the states, part of the reason states are in such bad financial shape today.
The Section 8 Voucher program doesn't need this "fix". Housing authorities now work hard to maintain lease-up and program owners work hard to keep units up to HQS and follow the program rules. Thousands of working poor and disabled families receive stable housing because of Vouchers.

We encourage you as owners to contact Rep. Ney and Senators DeWine and Voinovich and let them know that you do not support block granting. The message does not have to be long or complicated. Let them know that you are a program owner, and that you don't support the block granting proposal. They want to hear what you think.

Following is legislator contact information (we suggest you e-mail or fax your message; because of the anthrax scare, mail still takes a long time to be received):

Congressman Bob Ney, 18th District, 1024 Longworth H.O.B., Washington D.C. 20515. Fax (202)225-3394. E-mail bobney@mail.house.gov

Senators George Voinovich & Michael DeWine, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510.
Voinovich fax (202)228-1382. E-mail voinovich@voinovich.senate.gov
DeWine fax (202)224-6519. E-mail senator_dewine@dewine.senate.gov

Keep the Voucher funding strong. Let our legislators know how you feel.