Poor would pay more for housing under proposal

WASHINGTON — U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Wednesday proposed raising the amount that low-income families are expected to pay for rent — tripling it for the poorest households — as well as making it easier for property owners to demand work requirements for those receiving federal housing subsidies.

The move to overhaul how rental subsidies are calculated would affect 4.7 million families relying on federal housing assistance. The proposal legislation would require congressional approval.

“There is one inescapable imperative driving this reform effort,” Carson said in a call with reporters. “The current system isn’t working very well. Doing nothing is not an option.”

Tenants generally pay 30 percent of their adjusted income toward rent or a public housing agency minimum rent — which is capped at $50 a month for the poorest families. The proposal sets the family monthly rent contribution at 35 percent of gross income, or 35 percent of their earnings working 15 hours a week at the federal minimum wage. Under the proposal, the cap for the poorest families would rise to about $150 a month. About 712,000 households would see their rents rise to the new monthly minimum of $150, HUD officials said.

Housing advocates criticized the proposal as “cruel hypocrisy,” coming on the heels of tax breaks to wealthy Americans and corporations.

The bill would also allow public housing agencies and property owners to impose work requirements. Only 15 housing authorities in a dozen states require some sort of work or job training in return for benefits, HUD officials said. In Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, one adult needs to work 30 hours a week for a household to receive benefits. Chicago requires able-bodied beneficiaries to work 20 hours a week.

Those over 65 and individuals with disabilities would be exempt from the rental increases for the first six years and be exempt from any work requirements. HUD officials said that group makes up more than half of the families receiving subsidies.