The debate over a federal affordable-housing policy continues as the Madison City Council prepares to consider compromise legislation at its meeting Tuesday.
Section 8 is a law that gives low-income renters a voucher to pay for 30 to 40 percent of their rent. It provides those living in low-income housing the ability to live anywhere they want, as long as the landlord agrees to accept the Section 8 voucher as viable income.
One problem some officials see with Section 8 in Madison is that 75 percent of landlords do not accept the voucher. But under city law, landlords cannot discriminate against tenants for race, religion, sexual orientation and income.
According to Powell, the largest argument between landlords and tenants is whether or not the Sec. 8 voucher is a viable source of income.
Under the compromise, any landlord receiving any type of city funding would be required to accept the Section 8 voucher.
Some members of the Council, such as Ald. Dorothy Borchart, District 12, are skeptical about the way the Section 8 proposal is written. Borchart said she is concerned about some of the language.
Nancy Jensen, Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin’s executive director, explained that the compromise looks promising, and the landlords are hopeful it will pass at the meeting.
The compromise currently has 11 supporters from the City Council ? enough for legislation to pass.
Both sides have said they would like to take the issue farther, but there is not enough support on either side.
There are over 2,000 vouchers in the Madison area, and 300 of them are unused because certain landlords will not accept them.
“Section 8 was created in the ’60s, when all the projects were being built. They were a spectacular failure that exacerbated poverty,” Ald. Tom Powell, District 5, said. “Now people are allowed to move all over the city or the county.”
Several years ago, Section 8 was brought to the City Council and was tried as viable income, but the ordinance did not pass.
The vote was a 10 to 10 tie, with three council members not in attendance and 11 votes needed for a victory.
Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, has been working with tenants and landlords from the Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin for a year to find a compromise.
“The most important part of the compromise is that any landlord who is currently renting to a tenant can’t stop renting to them after they receive the voucher,” Konkel said.
This is known as the “rent-in-place” component of the compromise.
“The rent-in-place component allows those in the situation ? tenants, landlords, and the housing administration ? a chance to experience the program with the most chance for success,” Jensen said. “The tenant is already in housing, the landlord has already accepted the tenant and the housing administration gets a chance to use the vouchers.”
“There is a side benefit to the dialogue that has gone along with the compromise, now there is a positive landlord/tenant relationship,” Jensen said. “Anytime there is this open communication it creates a good relationship that will spill over into other issues.”
