Because of a $45 million budget gap, the New York City Housing Authority may have to revoke rental-assistance vouchers from more than 10,000 low-income tenants, a drastic move that could cause families to lose their apartments, the New York Times reports. The Ink’s Clare O’Connor is out in the borough, getting a local reaction from Brooklyn residents.
The federal government gave the housing authority less money for the voucher program, known as Section 8, than the authority expected. But the authority made matters worse by continuing to issue new vouchers until December, eight months after the government warned it to stop doing so because the program was likely to run a deficit.
Michael P. Kelly, the authority’s general manager, said that terminating vouchers would be a last-resort “dire option.” The authority has not decided who might lose their vouchers, but if the deficit is not closed, the cuts could begin this summer.
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