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05-19-2004

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 6 months ago

May 19, 2004

ROMNEY, HUD TEAM UP TO PRESERVE SECTION 8 VOUCHERS

Thousands of Low-Income Families to Stay in their Homes

 

Governor Mitt Romney today announced that his Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have come up with a solution that will save thousands of low-income families from the possibility of losing their housing.

 

Over the last several weeks, Romney worked with HUD to secure an additional $3 million in program funding for Massachusetts to avert a looming crisis that could have resulted in the loss of up to 3,700 Section 8 housing vouchers in July.

 

Last month, HUD informed the state Department of Housing and Community Development that the 2004 omnibus appropriations bill approved by Congress would leave Massachusetts with a $3 million funding gap that needed to be filled by June 30, the end of the state’s fiscal year.

 

Concerned that families would be left with nowhere to go, Romney met with HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson earlier this month in Washington, D.C. to advocate on behalf of Massachusetts. After the meeting, HUD agreed to annualize the inflation factor applied to each voucher, resulting in an additional $3 million for the Massachusetts Section 8 program.

 

“I want to commend Secretary Jackson for his willingness to work with me in helping to resolve this troubling issue,” said Romney. “Thanks to HUD, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will not have to take any vouchers away from our citizens.”

 

Romney also congratulated the Massachusetts congressional delegation for their advocacy on this issue.

 

The Section 8 program, administered by the state Department of Housing and Community Development, offers housing choices for very low-income households by helping families pay up to 70 percent of their rent in privately owned housing.

 

Eligible households are issued a Section 8 voucher. The family is then given up to 180 days to locate their own rental housing, which can be located anywhere in the country or they can elect to remain in their current unit provided it meets program requirements. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety. The rent for the unit must be reasonable in comparison to rents charged for similar, unassisted apartments in the area. A rental subsidy, determined by the family’s income, is paid directly to the landlord on behalf of the participating family by the housing agency. The family pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the Section 8 program.

 

 

 

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