The City of Phoenix and Assisted Housing
Above: Manuel T. Gonzalez with the City of Phoenix The South Mountain baseline
The area of South Phoenix is undergoing great change. With the help of the city of Phoenix, individuals without a job or lack of financial resources due to illness' or disability can apply for housing assistance. The assistance is provided in many ways.
Manuel T. Gonzalez of the city of Phoenix was kind enough to explain the main areas of assistance. Families large and small can receive assistance, if accepted, for minimal or no rent depending on the size of the family and the income. The assisted housing program has facilities across town that are more less like small apartment homes that the city maintains and rents. Housing also includes what is known as Section 8 housing. Section 8 is an assisted housing program in which separate apartment home companies provide that housing for individuals with a portion of the rent being paid by the city.
This housing assistance as mentioned is provided on first come, first serve basis and the individuals that are interested must pass a series of tests and background checks. This assures that proper individuals get the proper treatment. Also, frequent checks are made on the tenants to assure restrictions are being followed and to make positive that all vital pieces of personal information are still current such as income, number of family living in the assisted housing units, etc. This kind of housing assistance is vital to some in the community, yet it also has its downfalls.
The city of Phoenix has been suffering from drastic budget cuts resulting in the lay-offs of a dozen or so key inspectors that are specially trained. It is a well known fact to the city, as expressed by Manuel Gonzalez, that inspections on individuals are becoming scarce resulting sometimes in the continuance of misplacing funds to individuals that do not deserve them.
I have recently had the chance to interview an individual on Section 8 and they were quoted as making almost $3000.00 a month from drug sales and still the city had no clue. The city was still paying something like ¾ of the rent. This only goes to show that they still need many, qualified inspectors to keep an eye on individuals receiving assistance. Something that should be taken into consideration is that, maybe the city would save more money by keeping a watchful eye on some of its tenants. The individual I interviewed, which asks to remain anonymous, says that she (a female in her late twenties or thirties with an older child in the apartment) has a boyfriend who sells drugs and supports them and the city would more than likely not even suspect this.
These kinds of individuals need to be quickly removed from assistance, yet the dilemma at hand is very hard to prove or even gain notice. The city, in order for this program to work must keep on top of what’s going on. For the most part, the assisted housing programs of Phoenix help thousands of participants get back on their feet each year. This kind of assistance is crucial for the children as well as the adults. Way to go Phoenix!!
