Section 8 housing ruining your block??

**hagatha** · 03-13-2012, 12:27 PM

The NE QOL Coalition Meeting.
Thursday March 22nd 7:30 PM
Sons of Italy Lodge Friendship & Hegerman Sts

This month we will have representives from PHA.
Do your have questions or concerns with Section 8 houses on your block? Do you think Section 8 housing is ruining your neighborhood?

This is YOUR chance to discuss Section 8 housing. Don't pass up this chance to ask questions, get Your voice heard, and get answers!

**Mayfair101** · 03-13-2012, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by hagatha

The NE QOL Coalition Meeting.
Thursday March 22nd 7:30 PM
Sons of Italy Lodge Friendship & Hegerman Sts

This month we will have representives from PHA.
Do your have questions or concerns with Section 8 houses on your block? Do you think Section 8 housing is ruining your neighborhood?

This is YOUR chance to discuss Section 8 housing. Don't pass up this chance to ask questions, get Your voice heard, and get answers!

Is there any way to find out which houses are Section 8?

**lemko** · 03-13-2012, 03:10 PM

Too bad they didn't have this organization about 13 years ago when Section 8 absolutely destroyed my old neighborhood of Oxford Circle! Section 8 is like late stage pancreatic cancer to a neighborhood!

**hagatha** · 03-13-2012, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Mayfair101

Is there any way to find out which houses are Section 8?

The simple answer to your question is, no. Section 8 houses change all the time.

**StatesRights** · 03-14-2012, 09:56 PM

They had 4 or 5 page hand-outs for people applying for secton 8 at PHA on 15th Street. Applicants could choose by zip code, and bedroom size. I saw one of the lists- Thats how I learnd that the apartment buildings near my old house in NE had a bunch of Section 8 units.

**sharkey** · 03-14-2012, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by hagatha

The simple answer to your question is, no. Section 8 houses change all the time.

I don't have the number, but there is one that PHA maintains that can tell you if a property is on Sec 8. PHA began this to help its image. Many people assumed that any property rented to lowlifes was Sec 8, and many were not.

**hagatha** · 03-15-2012, 01:43 AM

The representives I spoke with told me they can not release a list of the homes already occupied by their clients. There are still some that automatically assume section 8 = lowlifes. There is a fear people may harrass families living in Section 8 housing.

I did ask if they could bring statistics on the total amount of houses in the city and how many were in the NE. I am betting many will be suprised to find there are more absentee landlords that are renting to lowlifes than section 8 houses.

I hope anyone that has any concerns about section 8 and their policies will come to the meeting to get their questions answered. If the people of the NE want to show government officials we are a strong community we have to show up to meetings and be involved.

**lemko** · 03-15-2012, 10:12 AM

There are still some that automatically assume section 8 = lowlifes

Unfortunately, there are too many folks on Section 8 that reinforce that image. I remember the first Section 8 folks to move onto my block in Oxford Circle. I was working two jobs to support myself, yet these folks were virtually living in their place for free while they smoked dope, drank, and played their gangsta rap albums spewing profanity up to 11 within earshot of small children and elderly folks. I'd come home from my second job at 3 AM and their toddler children were running up and down the sidewalk at that ungodly hour while they were sitting on the steps drinking and smoking as usual. Good God, they had plenty of money for alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs yet were in subsidized housing? Fortunately, these creeps were tossed after six months, but more and more of their ilk infiltrated the neighborhood via Section 8 over the next few years until the neighborhood was fit for neither man nor beast. I weep for Oxford Circle. It was a beautiful place not that long ago.

**chrissy72w** · 03-15-2012, 10:23 AM

So say there is a house in which the occupants are just terrible neighbors (not shovelling, cutting grass, harassing other neighbors.) How do I know whether to call PHA?

**lemko** · 03-15-2012, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by chrissy72w

So say there is a house in which the occupants are just terrible neighbors (not shovelling, cutting grass, harassing other neighbors.) How do I know whether to call PHA?

I would only call PHA if you can determine it's a PHA/Section 8 property. Else, I'd inform another city agency such as C.L.I.P.

**Debbie1125** · 03-15-2012, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by hagatha

There are still some that automatically assume section 8 = lowlifes.

The assumption is correct 99% of the time. Yes there are a small percentage of good Section 8 tenants. For the most part, however, they are pretty much as Lemko described. I've had to move two times from the lower Northeast because living among them is next to impossible.

**Jerry19127** · 03-15-2012, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by Debbie1125

The assumption is correct 99% of the time. Yes there are a small percentage of good Section 8 tenants. For the most part, however, they are pretty much as Lemko described. I've had to move two times from the lower Northeast because living among them is next to impossible.

Get ready to move again because they are moving to Roxborough in droves. 2020 census is gonna look like Mayfair's 2010.

**Debbie1125** · 03-15-2012, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by Jerry19127

Get ready to move again because they are moving to Roxborough in droves. 2020 census is gonna look like Mayfair's 2010.

Fantastic

**sharkey** · 03-15-2012, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by hagatha

The representives I spoke with told me they can not release a list of the homes already occupied by their clients. There are still some that automatically assume section 8 = lowlifes. There is a fear people may harrass families living in Section 8 housing.

I did ask if they could bring statistics on the total amount of houses in the city and how many were in the NE. I am betting many will be suprised to find there are more absentee landlords that are renting to lowlifes than section 8 houses.

I hope anyone that has any concerns about section 8 and their policies will come to the meeting to get their questions answered. If the people of the NE want to show government officials we are a strong community we have to show up to meetings and be involved.

I don't know if this makes a difference, but the hotline was set up to answer inquiry as to whether a particular property was on Sec 8; they didn't give out a list of all the Sec 8 properties. Yes, most Sec 8ers are lowlifes, but not all lowlifes are Sec 8ers. PHA didn't want to get blamed for rentals that had nonsec8 lowlifes in them.

**sharkey** · 03-15-2012, 08:29 PM

Part of the theory behind Sec 8 was that putting all the lowlifes together in "projects" made for a sub-society where their lowlife behavior was normal and each lowlife's behavior reinforced the "norm." It was thought that if the lowlifes were sprinkled throughout normal society, they would see how normal people behave, see thevirtue in it, and begin to copy it. Wrong! The lowlifes continued on the same path, and drove the normal people out around them. More Sec 8ers replaced the departed normal people, and the cycle fed itself.

**scotchrocks** · 03-15-2012, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by lemko

[I] Good God, they had plenty of money for alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs yet were in subsidized housing?

See how that works? God Bless America.

**hagatha** · 03-15-2012, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by chrissy72w

So say there is a house in which the occupants are just terrible neighbors (not shovelling, cutting grass, harassing other neighbors.) How do I know whether to call PHA?

How and where to contact will be explained at the meeting. However, if you think the property is a Section 8 house you can call their offices. They will tell you if that property is on the list. If it is, they will send out an investigator and if the complaint is founded, they take whatever action is needed to resolve the problem.

I understand PHA has revised their policies and proceedures to weed out the bad tennents. I was told if someone applies for a voucher they must pass very stringent tests. One being they must pass a background check. If they have any felony convictions their application is denied. Today it is quite a lot harder to get a voucher than it was even 5 yrs ago.

**StatesRights** · 03-15-2012, 10:40 PM

Couple "Section 8" up with "Scatter Site" PHA Housing and you yourself got a double whammie.

**lemko** · 03-16-2012, 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by sharkey

Part of the theory behind Sec 8 was that putting all the lowlifes together in "projects" made for a sub-society where their lowlife behavior was normal and each lowlife's behavior reinforced the "norm." It was thought that if the lowlifes were sprinkled throughout normal society, they would see how normal people behave, see thevirtue in it, and begin to copy it. Wrong! The lowlifes continued on the same path, and drove the normal people out around them. More Sec 8ers replaced the departed normal people, and the cycle fed itself.

The path to hell is paved with good intentions. May it was good these lowlifes were lumped together in the projects because they are unfit to live among civilized society. It kept this cancer contained in one area where is can easily be excised if necessary. Now that cancer has been allowed to spread all over the city and the whole body of Philadelphia is very sick as a result. What makes these lowlifes think they are entitled to the same quality lifestyle as those who have actually WORKED for it and EARNED it? Do you hate living in the projects or the 'hood? Do you want something better than a life of deprivation, violence, substance abuse, and ignorance? Get an education and better yourself! Heck, there are PLENTY of immigrants who came to this country with even less than you have and did it!

**sonotforyou** · 03-16-2012, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by lemko

The path to hell is paved with good intentions. May it was good these lowlifes were lumped together in the projects because they are unfit to live among civilized society. It kept this cancer contained in one area where is can easily be excised if necessary. Now that cancer has been allowed to spread all over the city and the whole body of Philadelphia is very sick as a result. What makes these lowlifes think they are entitled to the same quality lifestyle as those who have actually WORKED for it and EARNED it? Do you hate living in the projects or the 'hood? Do you want something better than a life of deprivation, violence, substance abuse, and ignorance? Get an education and better yourself! Heck, there are PLENTY of immigrants who came to this country with even less than you have and did it!

Well said.