SOLUTIONS TO THE CRISIS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING: A PROPOSED MODEL FOR NEW YORK CITY

Federal and state housing programs were created decades ago to increase the availability and quality of affordable housing in the United States. Among the most well-known of these federal programs is the Housing Choice Voucher Program (“Section 8”), that provides rental assistance to help meet the housing needs of the poor. Section 8 is administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), which pays rental subsidies to eligible families so that they can afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing. The rental assistance provided under Section 8 is either project-based, where money is paid to families that live in specific housing developments or units, or tenant-based, where the tenant chooses the unit and limited financial resources are provided to assist the tenant with the payment of the rent. In essence, Section 8 provides a rent subsidy to low-income families. View More