TMHA Housing vouchers are withdrawn

The withdrawn vouchers are for people looking to rent private housing.
WARREN -- Housing assistance money for 79 very low-income families has been withdrawn by the Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority in response to cuts at the federal level.
The TMHA board approved the recall of the 79 "housing choice" vouchers in response to $282,000 in anticipated cuts by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The voucher program, formerly known as Section 8, is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly and the disabled to afford safe and sanitary housing in the private market.
A housing subsidy is paid directly to the landlord by TMHA, with the participants paying the difference between the actual rent charged and the subsidized amount.
"Regrettably we have no alternative but to take these actions," said Donald W. Emerson Jr., TMHA executive director. "Every indication is, we're taking a hit."
TMHA will have final numbers for the voucher program by Jan. 31. It normally has 916 such vouchers at any given time.
"The housing authority can only fund as many vouchers as HUD's budget allocation to our organization will allow," Emerson said.
All new vouchers issued or scheduled to be leased on or after Jan. 1 are null and void, and these families won't be receiving rental assistance.
The cuts will not render anyone homeless, Emerson said. "None of the folks currently on the program are being affected," he noted.
But he did note that the withdrawn vouchers are for people who are now looking for private housing or who may be ready to move in and needed the voucher. In these instances, TMHA can help by offering regular public housing, Emerson said.