Housing in Milwaukee has recently gained national attention from Dr. Matthew Desmond, a sociologist, who immersed himself in Milwaukee to conduct research on the disproportionate number of mainly low-income women with children facing eviction. In his book, “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,” Desmond put a spotlight on the housing crisis across the nation.
Milwaukee County hopes to mitigate some of the housing issues by offering residents the opportunity to receive federal housing vouchers.
More from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Milwaukee County housing officials — for the first time in 15 years — will accept applications for federally funded rent-assistance vouchers.
County residents asking to apply for Section 8 rent assistance in recent years were told they could not even get on a waiting list, because that was still clogged with thousands of other households from the 2001 sign-up.
That was true until this spring, when county Housing Division officials distributed 350 vouchers in May and June and finally erased the old waiting list, said Dena Hunt, Section 8 program manager for the division.
From Tuesday through Thursday, low-income families and individuals can register at one of three locations for a rent-assistance lottery to be conducted in early September.
A lottery system eliminates the need for people to camp overnight to be first in line at registration, Hunt said. Anyone registering over the three days will have an equal chance to be selected in the lottery.
All applicants must meet income limits. Household sizes and limits are: one person, $24,600; two, $28,100; three, $31,600; four, $35,100; five, $37,950; six, $40,750; seven, $43,550; and eight, $46,350.
The lottery will create a new waiting list with about 2,000 households. As vouchers become available, households will be required to complete full applications, including income verification.
For more, visit Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
