I'm probably one of the flamier liberals here on HNN, but I have to agree with this one - I landlorded for a short time before realizing it's not easy money, and one of my tenants was a nice young lady on Section 8. Before she moved on, she (or her live-in boyfriend) left holes in the walls, the garden shed literally stuffed full of trash, the carpets full of fleas and a big hole in the yard from the dog not permitted in the lease, dirt ground into the kitchen floor that took me a day and a half to scrub out (like, bus-station-level gum), and a street full of really, really pissed neighbors.
Poverty is endemic, and Section 8 doesn't help, even though I really wish it did. However, eliminating Section 8 won't help, either, I suspect.
You indeed sound an awful lot like my (ex-)neighbor who decided to "move up in the world" to a nice house in a much richer neighborhood, while keeping your existing home (in our (til then) quite nice upper middle class neighborhood) for income purposes. And, like either (a) a flaming liberal, or (b) someone to whom the higher rent from Section 8 tenants, and the fact the Uncle Sugar was writing the rent check, was mighty appealing, decided to rent to Section 8.
Yes, I would would be one of your VERY VERY PISSED OFF neighbors. I hope it cost you plenty, but I'm sure Uncle Sugar made you whole with our tax dollars (if they didn't, word would get out that Section 8 landlording was a losing proposition, and the 'crats can't have that! Anyway, it's not their money).
I'm probably one of the flamier liberals here on HNN, but I have to agree with this one - I landlorded for a short time before realizing it's not easy money, and one of my tenants was a nice young lady on Section 8. Before she moved on, she (or her live-in boyfriend) left holes in the walls, the garden shed literally stuffed full of trash, the carpets full of fleas and a big hole in the yard from the dog not permitted in the lease, dirt ground into the kitchen floor that took me a day and a half to scrub out (like, bus-station-level gum), and a street full of really, really pissed neighbors.
Poverty is endemic, and Section 8 doesn't help, even though I really wish it did. However, eliminating Section 8 won't help, either, I suspect.
I wish I knew an answer.