Number: RL33270
Title: The Section 8 Housing Voucher Program: Reform Proposals in the 108th and 109th Congresses
Authors: Maggie McCarty, Domestic Social Policy Division 
Abstract: The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program has come under increasing criticism from the Administration and Congress for its cost and its complexity. Recent changes in the way the program is funded have largely addressed concerns at the federal level about "spiraling costs"; however, the new funding structure has not reduced budget pressures for the local public housing authorities (PHAs) that administer the program. Noting these concerns, the Administration has argued in each of the past several years that the existing Section 8 voucher program should be dismantled and replaced with a new, broader-purpose grant program. Thus far, lowincome housing advocates and PHA groups have generally opposed the Administration's reform initiatives, although both have begun to call for some type of reform to lessen the administrative burdens on PHAs and to help them better administer their voucher programs in a budget-constrained environment. The Administration's reform proposals have changed over the years, and they have differed substantially from the reform proposals supported by PHA groups and lowincome housing advocates. Despite their differences, each proposal would alter several key features of the current program,
Pages: 26
Date: May 16, 2007