In those days, the place was hopping — tenants and prospective tenants came in every day, check after check was sent to landlords, new staff were added constantly out of necessity. Our tenant base had many immigrants, especially from Russia; many minority groups, especially Caribbean and Hispanic; and many, many seniors. Among the “big” Section 8 areas were Flatbush, Bed-Stuy, Coney Island, East New York, Borough Park, Bensonhurst and Brighton Beach.
Section 8 Program Gets a New Lease on Life
Brooklyn, NY — Back in the early 1980s, this reporter worked as a housing assistant, or management assistant, on the “Brooklyn Team” of the New York City Housing Authority’s Section 8 program, a federally sponsored program in which the authority pays part of the rent for low-income tenants in private housing.
In those days, the place was hopping — tenants and prospective tenants came in every day, check after check was sent to landlords, new staff were added constantly out of necessity. Our tenant base had many immigrants, especially from Russia; many minority groups, especially Caribbean and Hispanic; and many, many seniors. Among the “big” Section 8 areas were Flatbush, Bed-Stuy, Coney Island, East New York, Borough Park, Bensonhurst and Brighton Beach.
In 1994 the authority closed its Section 8 waiting list because of inadequate federal funding. This year, however, the list has been reopened, and to date, 231,078 completed applications have been received. The first new Section 8 vouchers were handed out to 200 tenants earlier this week.
There are certainly still many low-income Brooklynites out there. But what is the place of Section 8 in today’s real estate scene, where, in some neighborhoods, a rental studio apartment will fetch $1,500? That depends on whom you talk to.
Article Continued (BrooklynEagle.com)
