Section 8 Voucher Legislation Introduced to Congress - In May, 2005, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) filed legislation to Congress that would fundamentally change the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program and would negatively affect the lowest income people with disabilities – particularly those who rely on federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments of less than $600 per month.

• Read TAC's statement 

HUD’s proposal, if enacted into law, would hurt the lowest income people with disabilities in the following ways:

• Vouchers would no longer be reserved for the lowest income households such as people with disabilities receiving SSI payments.  Current voucher program rules require that 75 percent of vouchers must  assist households with extremely low incomes;
• Administering agencies – not the federal government – would determine how much rent voucher program participants would pay and the amount of the rent covered by the voucher.  Under the current program, tenants are required to pay only 30 percent of their income for rent.  For people receiving SSI, this typically means a rent of less than $200 per month; and
• Other protections for people with disabilities in the voucher program could be eliminated.

For more information, see the following documents (PDF):

• National Low Income Housing Coalition Letter to Secretary Jackson strongly urging HUD not to introduce the legislative proposal
• Initial summary of HUD’s proposed "State and Local Housing Flexibility Act of 2005”
• HUD's talking points
• Click here for a sample letter to send to your Congressman. 
• Click here for a sample letter to send to your Sentors.