So much for this initiative which aims to build more houses and create less homelessness in the city of Houston. Government spending cuts are affecting major cities across the nation, and now, Houston, Texas is one of them. The Houston Housing Authority is losing $7 million of their housing budget from the U.S. government, affecting low-income housing for families across Texas.
The Decision To Cut
When the Houston Housing Authority learned that their budget was being cut 5 percent, they had to make a decision. They could either serve less people, or spread the money around and serve the same amount of Houston residents but with less money. They decided to try to serve the same amount of citizens with less money.
What About The Low Income Families?
No matter how the city decided, the end result was going to cause some pain. With less money to give low-income families for subsidized housing, the lives of families will be affected. They, too, need to make some tough decisions. Many will have to change to smaller apartments in order to continue to afford the rent with less subsidized funding. They may have to make do with a 2 bedroom instead of a 3 bedroom apartment, or even a one bedroom instead of a 2 bedroom apartment.
Others who feel they need to stay where they are have made really difficult decisions, such as postponing sending their child to college because it is all they can do to pay their increased rental cost.
No Easy Solution
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to the cuts. In addition, city officials fear that if the government sequester continues, Houston Housing Authority stands to lose a lot more money over the next 10 years.
