If you want to get an earful from folks in communities like Westwood, Price Hill, Colerain or Green Township, just bring up the topic of Section 8 housing. This is the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) program through which millions of low income people across the country are given a voucher which allows them to pick an apartment or house in which to live, and have their fellow taxpayers pick up up to 100% of the cost (paying as little as nothing themselves.)
Having lived in Price Hill and Westwood myself for more than 50 years now, I agree with those who believe that the excessive use of these vouchers has had a significant negative impact on these communities.
As the Representative of the First Congressional District of Ohio, I have in the past offered proposals in Congress to reduce the number of vouchers made available by 100,000, to reduce spending on the program by $2.4 billion, and to eliminate the program altogether. The chief opponents to my efforts in Congress were Maxine Waters of California and Barney Frank of Massachusetts. Unfortunately, thus far they have been on the prevailing side.
Monday, I introduced legislation in the House of Representatives which would overhaul the program – its formal title is “The Section 8 Reform, Responsibility, and Accountability Act of 2012. “Here are the principle things it would accomplish if passed into law:
- It would place a time limit on Section 8 vouchers to not more than five years. The idea is that housing assistance should be temporary help, not a permanent way of life.
- It would prevent illegal aliens and felons from having access to vouchers. Just seems like common sense.
- It would require that each family member 18 to 62 years of age living in a Section 8 apartment or home, work at least 20 hours a week doing public service in the community. (You shouldn’t get something for nothing.)
- And finally, veterans would be given a preference to any available housing vouchers. They’ve worn the uniform of our country, often literally putting their lives on the line for us, and therefore deserve our country’s assistance if they are experiencing hard times financially.
In conclusion, legislation can be amended even after it’s been introduced, so please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.