Lakewood Rap

The housing voucher program is one of the major federal initiatives intended to bridge the housing affordability gap. But federal funding for this program is severely limited. There are not enough funds available to assist all eligible households. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, three-fourths of eligible households receive no assistance. This results in years-long waiting lists for housing assistance in most of the nation's 3,400 local housing agencies (HAs). The average waiting time for a housing voucher is more than 10 years in Los Angeles and Newark, 8 years in New York and Washington DC, 7 years in Houston, and 5 years in Memphis and Chicago. Even continued funding to assist those already enrolled in the voucher program is not assured.