CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) is struggling with a budget shortfall as rents in the area continue to rise. That gap could limit the availability of Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8.
CMHA officials were not available for interviews Friday, but the potential cuts are daunting for some — especially Ms. Stallins, who currently lives in the Villages at Roll Hill.
“I haven’t heard anything back, no letters, no calls, and it’s the moms out here like me who are looking forward to this,” Stallins said.
Stallins said she has been on the CMHA waiting list for two years now and is even more unsure about leaving a property that she says is unsafe and neglected.
Shanel Gentry, a licensed real estate agent in Ohio, said the number of renters looking for other options has increased since the funding gap became known.
“I know this from experience; I get one to five calls a day,” Gentry said. “You know, I’ve had people on the phone crying and saying they were going to be homeless because they couldn’t find a place to live. They were living in houses that are now being sold because it’s a seller’s market.”
So what are your options if you find yourself in this situation? Gentry recommends looking into other alternative subsidized housing programs besides CMHA, such as the MHAP Excel program or the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
A CMHA spokesperson said that despite a possible reduction in vouchers, the organization is working with more than 5,000 landlords who provide housing for voucher participants.
