No one has ever been evicted from their subsidized housing because of a government shutdown, Department of Housing and Urban Development officials say. But that looks likely to be another big first for the Trump administration as this record-breaking shutdown drags on. The danger to low-income people is coming on several fronts.
Landlords are becoming less willing to accept Section 8 vouchers, as Florida single mother Jessica McBride is finding out. Her landlord has refused to renew her lease because of the shutdown, and as she looks for new housing, “The problem now is when I call these other places, even though they are advertised as Section 8 apartments, the managers say, ‘Nope. We are not taking any Section 8 applicants at this time.’” No wonder: “Really, why would they at this point?” said one low-income housing advocate. “How can they count on the federal government to pay its bills or keep its commitments while the shutdown drags on?”
It’s not just Section 8 recipients who are in danger, though. HUD let 650 affordable housing contracts lapse in December, 525 more are expiring at the end of January, and another 550 are coming up in February. That means landlords are forced to use the reserves they hold for emergencies and repairs just to keep going now, potentially creating dangerous situations if those emergencies happen or repairs are needed. At stake, the Washington Post reports, is “the housing stability of more than 40,000 low-income households, two-thirds of whom are elderly or disabled.”
Even people who aren’t worried about losing their housing may be worried about their health, as public housing inspections are on pause in some places, and needed repairs aren’t being made in others. “It's like the real-life Hunger Games in America,” McBride told the Post. “It's the most vulnerable people that are being affected. The crisis isn't at the border, it's right here in America.”
