Will the Nation Follow Philly’s Example in Providing Cash Assistance for Tenants?

Being a homeowner has its share of annoyances, but as long as you make your mortgage payments every month, you will always have a place to live, and when you are finished living there, you can sell it at a profit or pass it on to your descendants in your will.  It is up to you to decide when the leaky faucet or broken air conditioning is so unbearable that it is worth spending money to fix it; the only person whose consent you might need before writing a check or swiping your debit card is your spouse.  When you are a tenant, your landlord can raise the rent, refuse to make repairs, and kick you out if you complain too much and the landlord thinks that there is someone else out there who is willing to pay more.  Simply being able to stay in place for another year at the same price is the best-case scenario.  No matter how annoying your landlord is, you are in a better position than you would be if you were trying to rent, and landlords kept turning you away because of your financial status.  If you have ever tried to use a government voucher as part of a rental application, then you have lived this ordeal, but now the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering a cash assistance program that would simplify the rental application process for recipients of federal housing subsidies.  If you are struggling with financial instability despite receiving government assistance for housing, contact a Philadelphia debt relief lawyer.

The Trouble With Housing Vouchers

Some people wait for years to get a housing voucher, but once they do, the stress is just beginning.  The deadline to find an apartment is only a few months, so nearly 40 percent of housing vouchers expire before the recipient can use them.  Landlords are cagey about accepting vouchers because it means that they must comply with government inspections, and the paperwork they must complete to get paid through the voucher program is time-consuming.

HUD is considering giving beneficiaries cash instead of vouchers.  This would reduce the bureaucratic red tape and give beneficiaries more flexibility about where to apply; landlords in higher income neighborhoods are notoriously voucher averse.  Of course, Philadelphia is way ahead of them.  Philadelphia has been giving cash benefits to several hundred tenants for several years, and the results are that the recipients of the cash benefits find greater housing security more quickly than the recipients of housing vouchers do.  Of course, neither housing vouchers nor cash in an amount comparable to the value of a voucher will solve everyone’s financial problems, and you may still need a consumer law attorney to help you cope with your debts.

Contact CONSUMERLAWPA.com About Avoiding Housing Insecurity

A Philadelphia consumer law attorney can help you if housing vouchers or their equivalent in cash have barely made a dent in your financial stress.  Contact CONSUMERLAWPA.com to set up a free, confidential consultation.

Source:

npr.org/2024/09/19/g-s1-23570/renters-cash-vouchers-u-s-housing-apartments-hud-federal