The Case For Section 8

One of the most misunderstood and falsely maligned Federal programs in the United States is Section 8 of the United States Housing Act. The program, which provides assistance to over three million citizens, helps ensure that people have a roof over their heads when they hit hard times and is designed to help lift people out of poverty by helping them save up for a place of their own in the future.

The biggest misconceptions about Section 8 is that it's free housing. When many well off people think of public housing, they think of high rise buildings that concentrated poverty on a grand scale. These places are notorious for a seemingly endless cycle of crime and despair. These buildings are Public Housing projects, not Section 8 buildings. The difference between the two is like night and day.

Section 8 Housing assistance is geared towards families and is classified as "tenant based." The tenant based structure is in place to enable the recipient the freedom to search for affordable housing and not be confined to a particular city or state. It is set up to allow freedom of movement and its goal is to allow the individual or family to save up to eventually purchase their own house or afford rent without assistance.

There is a lot of misinformation out there about Section 8, but it is a vital program that helps millions of families have a roof over their heads and helps provide them the resources needed to get a leg up in society. It is time to invest more in our nations future by expanding funding for these programs. We have empty apartment buildings sprawled throughout this nation that are falling into disrepair for no reason at all. I believe we, the people, should begin the drive to ensure every person that needs a roof over their heads has access to one. I believe we, the people, should insist that we end this war on the poor and invest in our nations future. It is high time that we stop demonizing the poor and provide them the resources to dig themselves out of poverty once and for all.