HUD funding crunch leads unions, legislators to call for action

Texas tenants and legislators are calling for congress to provide a guarantee that current Section 8 vouchers will be fully funded for 2009, as the country's subprime mortgage crisis adds pressure to an already struggling housing market.

"In the face of a slowing economy, many South Texans are struggling to make ends meet and will rely on Section 8 vouchers to access affordable housing and weather the storm," said U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa in an emailed statement.

"Unfortunately, the President's irresponsible budget proposal fails to recognize the impact that the economic downturn and mortgage crisis is having on our hardworking Americans. Now, more than ever, we need to properly fund Section 8 rental assistance."

According to Shelly Rollins, executive director of the Texas Tenants' Union, approximately 545 units in Brownsville would be affected if sufficient funding were not allocated to the program, including the Candlewick Town Homes, Lindale Village, and Rockwell Manor units.

These units are part of project-based vouchers, which match housing units directly with renters. Families pay 30 percent of their income toward rent, and government monies subsidize the remaining sum. However, Rollins says, if this assistance is not available, it will strain landlord-tenant relationships, and may force landlords to evict renters from their housing.

According to Zeke Luna, the interim executive director for the Brownsville Housing Authority, the 2015 vouchers that his office distributes to the city's low-income families would not be affected, since they are part of a second program.

However, he also noted that while the city's population has grown by approximately 7,500 people per year for the past eight years, the number of vouchers has remained almost entirely static.

Neglecting either Section 8 program would simply increase the number of low-income families on an ever-growing waiting list for subsidized housing.

"This program is important to many elderly, disabled, and low income families struggling with limited incomes. Failure to honor these contracts will make life more difficult for many in need," said Barbara Massingill, a HUD tenant who serves on the board of directors of the Texas Tenants' Union.