Section 8

California has invested a lot to solve the homelessness crisis for the Billions but is yet to commit to the most critical changes.

One California resident was diagnosed with a heart condition and was hospitalized in 2005. The resident lost their job and found himself along with his daughter homeless for the first time. Even while dealing with the bad times, the resident did not let his situation disrupt his daughter’s education. He tried giving her the same opportunities as were available to the other kids.

The resident soon got a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and found a new place to call home in Sun Valley. Unfortunately, the landlord refused to make safety fixes after four years, and again the resident was Homeless.

Several landlords refused to give me accommodation because of the Section 8 housing Choice Voucher I was having. Despite all this, the resident managed to find a home again. On moving into the home, the landlord delayed the process of transferring the voucher that the resident lost.

California is the fifth largest economy in the world, but still, 170,000 Californians are experiencing homelessness compared to the other states. The thousands of people having the Section 8 Housing Choice voucher remain homeless because the landlords discriminate.

California has policy options to eliminate homelessness and ensure everyone has a stable place to live.

The key is to stop relying on sporadic funding and commit to consistent, substantial investments and ineffective solutions. The California Homeless Housing Needs Assessment suggests that an annual investment of $8.1 billion in housing, shelter, and supportive services for the next 12 years is needed to subsidize housing for over 225,000 apartments each year.

The residents don’t need to wait longer if there were more affordable homes and subsidies. Besides this, it also needs to be seen that these resources are distributed equally.

California needs to strengthen renter protections to help people stay housed. Better protections will save thousands of residents from being homeless and the sufferings that come from being homeless.