Some On Public Housing Waitlists Are Taking Their Vouchers To Smaller Cities

October 29, 2014 4:30 PM ET

Miles Bryan

Listen to the Story

3 min 54 sec

In the last few years demand for public housing assistance has skyrocketed, while congressional funding has stayed flat. Right now federal funds covers less than a quarter of families in the United States eligible for a housing voucher. Waitlists for vouchers in big cities are often years long, if not closed all together. That means those seeking housing aid are heading to small cities, like Cheyenne, Wyo., because of shorter wait times.

Around the Nation

As Infrastructure Crumbles, Trillions Of Gallons Of Water Lost

A water maintenance crew works on leaky infrastructure in Skokie, a Chicago suburb. The area loses almost 22 billion gallons of water a year because of ailing infrastructure.

Around the Nation

After The Waves, Staten Island Homeowner Takes Sandy Buyout

Stephen Drimalas stands outside his former home in Staten Island's Ocean Breeze neighborhood. He rebuilt his home after Superstorm Sandy but recently decided to sell it to the state of New York.

U.S.

To Tackle Sexual Assault Cases, Colleges Enlist Investigators-For-Hire

Djuna Perkins, a former prosecutor, now conducts sexual assault investigations for colleges and universities. She's had to hire three more staff members this year to keep up with all the work.

Around the Nation

Some On Public Housing Waitlists Are Taking Their Vouchers To Smaller Cities

Comments

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

Some On Public Housing Waitlists Are Taking Their Vouchers To Smaller Cities

Listen to the Story

More From Around the Nation

Around the Nation

As Infrastructure Crumbles, Trillions Of Gallons Of Water Lost

Around the Nation

After The Waves, Staten Island Homeowner Takes Sandy Buyout

U.S.

To Tackle Sexual Assault Cases, Colleges Enlist Investigators-For-Hire

Around the Nation

Some On Public Housing Waitlists Are Taking Their Vouchers To Smaller Cities

Comments

Support NPR

NPR Shop

Some On Public Housing Waitlists Are Taking Their Vouchers To Smaller Cities

More From Around the Nation

Around the Nation

As Infrastructure Crumbles, Trillions Of Gallons Of Water Lost

Around the Nation

After The Waves, Staten Island Homeowner Takes Sandy Buyout

U.S.

To Tackle Sexual Assault Cases, Colleges Enlist Investigators-For-Hire

Around the Nation

Some On Public Housing Waitlists Are Taking Their Vouchers To Smaller Cities

You must be signed in to leave a comment. Sign In / Register