Sequestration Suspends King County Housing Vouchers

The King County Housing Authority has stopped issuing new Section 8 vouchers. The program is federally subsidized through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The move is a result of the impending reduction in those funds due to sequestration.

KCHA Communications Director Rhonda Rosenberg says families already receiving vouchers are not in any immediate danger of losing them. Rather, she says, the Authority has frozen the waitlist, which will have a cascading effect on families in need. “This severely impacts safety net programs," said Rosenberg. "These are real people who are being hurt. Those folks who are counting on a voucher could literally find themselves on the streets.”

The average income of a household with a Section 8 voucher is $13,327. Rosenberg says the Authority has had to make tough choices in order to preserve the funds needed to sustain services to people already receiving housing assistance.