StreetSense Media: With no money to move, some voucher holders are trapped in poor housing

StreetSense reporter Donte Taylor covers an ongoing issue where some local and federal voucher holders in DC are subject to inescapable poor living conditions, due to a pause in assistance that usually helps in paying security deposits.

When people move into housing with vouchers, they pay up to 30% of their income to rent, and the voucher covers the rest. But costs outside of rent, like security deposits, can fall entirely on the tenants. To help people move in, DCHA has previously provided funding for security deposits, though that money ran out earlier this year. The D.C. Council is poised to fund another pool of assistance in the upcoming budget, which will be available in October.

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Organizations like the Children’s Law Center and Bread for the City say they have seen an increasing number of voucher holders stuck in situations where they have a voucher and should be able to move into long-term housing, but can’t because of the inability to pay a security deposit. Since the well of funds ran dry in January, housing advocates and voucher participants alike have been demanding that the council find room in the budget to provide security deposit assistance.