As a housing specialist working primarily with voucher holders, I am strongly in favor of the guidance which will provide protections for this population. In my program, voucher recipients receive case management assistance that will help provide resources for utility payments as well as opportunities for increasing individual income through employment or disability applications. Our vouchers require recipients to pay 30% of the their gross income towards the full rental amount, and should they lose their income through unforeseen circumstances the voucher can be adjusted to provide nearly 100% of the full rental amount (save for a base $50 portion).
Everyone is entitled to live in safe, affordable housing. The income requirements currently in place are actively preventing that from happening in situations where they are not even applicable. Vouchers are a safe, guaranteed form of income used to assist people with reclaiming and/or stabilizing their lives, and this guidance would open up immediate opportunities for hundreds of individuals.