How landlords thwart America’s attempts to house poor people

Stoneleigh Fellow Vincent Reina’s Housing Initiative at Penn research is featured in an Economist article discussing the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program.

“Why the fuck does this county even offer Section 8 if it’s a mythical unicorn that nobody ever gets?” asks Alex, the main character in Netflix’s new series “Maid”. The show, based on Stephanie Land’s book “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive”, is a portrait of poverty and domestic work in Washington State. Section 8, now known as the Housing Choice Voucher Programme (hcvp), is a federal housing-assistance scheme that subsidises rent for 2.3m poor American households lucky enough to get their hands on a voucher. Others can spend years on waiting lists, hoping to be chosen.

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