Nothing More To Lose

There comes a time in some people's lives, when fear paralyzes their every move, dominates their every thought and leads them into a place of complacency and conformity and that is ok. When fear around my housing situation first gripped me back when I was a young divorced, mother of two I just put my head down worked hard, followed all the rules and was very great full my two kids had a roof over their heads.

Until recently, if your income increased anywhere from $20 to $200 dollars you had to tell them and your rent went up accordingly. Now, I hear rumors of those who utilize Federal Housing Programs may find that some of them will be paying 35% of their income or perhaps their Home Choice Voucher like mine, is on the chopping block (click here to learn more). My rent has already gone up allegedly because of a mistake that was made, but it is funny the correction took me to 35% of my income for rent.

Affordablehousingonline.com has a very interesting take on what could become a reality in the world of government housing waiting lists. " However, it is impossible to know exactly what Trump plans to do as he has not mentioned Section 8 or other housing programs specifically. We hold out hope that he realizes that these programs are not being abused and help keep millions of hard working American families out of homelessness." The article goes on to say.

Hope, what is that? Anymore in my mind hope is just another fantasy just like waiting for my knight in shining armor to come and save me; at least where being a recipient of government housing is concerned.

"Families in every state could face rent increases that could total $300 a year or more (see Appendix 1)." The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities article brings a suspicion of truth to some of the rumors I have been hearing about people's rent are possibly going up to 50% of their income. The thought of this not only squashes any hope I might have coned myself into holding on to; confirming it would be cheaper and more reliable if I bought a

camper to live in. The loan payments would then be 25% of my income.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition reminds us, "Research shows that when people have a stable home that they can afford, they are better able to find employment, achieve economic mobility, age in place, perform better in school, and maintain improved health." 

The tenants in the United States are not the only ones facing the surge in rents; the BBC reports "While containing the cost to taxpayers, it leaves housing benefit vulnerable to becoming increasingly irrelevant with respect to its purpose - maintaining the affordability of adequate housing for those on low incomes."

When you have nothing to lose, fear is no longer a problem. Fear has become a motivator. I was afraid to speak up because I live on the crack of the floorboards that President Trump is prying up because he can just feel there is a quarter under there. The more he pries pulls and tugs the wider that crack gets and more people will find themselves falling through the cracks regardless of whether they speak up or not.

So before we all go free-falling here, Call your members of Congress and urge them to SUPPORT full funding for affordable housing programs and OPPOSE any proposals that increase rents and impose arbitrary, administratively burdensome and wasteful work requirements on federal housing assistance programs.