On March 29, 2018, the HOC Director sent out a letter signed by Stacey Spann, distributed to all Section 8 participants in Montgomery County, MD., he and the Commissioners on the HOC Board voted and executed a policy to decrease vouchers by zip code without considering the Section 8 voucher holders and how it will affect their quality of life. Another issue, there is a lack of disabled accessible apartments in Montgomery County, MD, therefore, a disability accessibility apartment might be located within the zip code where the voucher is decreased. A disabled person under the HOC Section 8 program will get their voucher decreased and punished because they need an accessibility apartment due to the zip code discriminatory policy. This is one of several questions that need to be answered before HOC voted on this policy and how it affects a Section 8 voucher holder quality of life. HOC refused to allow resident participation especially the introduction of this zip code discriminatory policy. This policy left many Section 8 voucher holders living in fear, intimidated and confused who reside in Montgomery County, MD.
Zip code inequality policy was passed by the HOC Commissioners, an oppressive and unfair policy that was created to oppress Section 8 participants violating their rights to only live in certain areas in Montgomery County, Maryland. HOC is social engineering of communities will only perpetuate “protected minorities” as an underclass that relies on the government to succeed in life.
More than half of the 4.7 million households receiving subsidies are headed by seniors or people with disabilities, according to the federal government. However, the HOC Director is causing segregation, executing a discriminatory ( by zip code) policy and bias against the vulnerable community. This policy is basically telling Section 8 voucher participants “You are no longer welcome in Montgomery County, MD” or stay on this side of the county. The wording of this policy is trying to hide discrimination and segregation; while it was brought to the Commissioners by a black man. This policy I find it insulting and it causes hardship to a Section 8 voucher holder to move to an area by zip code in Montgomery County, MD., to have their voucher to decrease while every year rent increases by the Montgomery County government up to 5% yearly. What happens if HOC decides to vote again to change the zip code to decrease the voucher in the areas where the voucher is increased, that causes instability.
The AFFH rule sets out a framework for local governments, States, and public housing agencies (PHAs) to take meaningful actions to overcome historic patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities that are free from discrimination. The rule is designed to help programs participants better understand what they are required to do to meet their AFFH duties and enables them to assess fair housing issues in their communities and then to make informed policy decisions.
Zip code inequality policy was passed by the HOC Commissioners, an oppressive and unfair policy that was created to oppress Section 8 participants violating their rights to only live in certain areas in Montgomery County, Maryland. HOC is social engineering of communities will only perpetuate “protected minorities” as an underclass that relies on the government to succeed in life.
More than half of the 4.7 million households receiving subsidies are headed by seniors or people with disabilities, according to the federal government. However, the HOC Director is causing segregation, executing a discriminatory ( by zip code) policy and bias against the vulnerable community. This policy is basically telling Section 8 voucher participants “You are no longer welcome in Montgomery County, MD” or stay on this side of the county. The wording of this policy is trying to hide discrimination and segregation; while it was brought to the Commissioners by a black man. This policy I find it insulting and it causes hardship to a Section 8 voucher holder to move to an area by zip code in Montgomery County, MD., to have their voucher to decrease while every year rent increases by the Montgomery County government up to 5% yearly. What happens if HOC decides to vote again to change the zip code to decrease the voucher in the areas where the voucher is increased, that causes instability.
The AFFH rule sets out a framework for local governments, States, and public housing agencies (PHAs) to take meaningful actions to overcome historic patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities that are free from discrimination. The rule is designed to help programs participants better understand what they are required to do to meet their AFFH duties and enables them to assess fair housing issues in their communities and then to make informed policy decisions.
According to a 2008, survey by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 62 percent of voucher holders nationally are designated as a minority, and 48 percent of voucher holder households nationally are female-headed households with children. This letter dated March 29, 2018, excludes the disabled, seniors and persons without children. This includes Section 8 voucher holders who can’t live in certain areas in Montgomery County, MD by zip code due to their source of income. Section 8 participants already dealing with a negative stigma from society especially landlords and management companies who sometimes refuse to rent to voucher holders because they lack awareness of their responsibilities under local laws, or they hold inaccurate stereotypes about the households who participate in public assistance programs. HOC don't advocate on the behalf of Section 8 voucher holders quality of life. The Director of HOC is insensitive and harasses vulnerable women residents by threatening to take their voucher when they voice concerns or participate regarding their quality life issues, I can speak by experience because he personally did this to me.
As Section 8 participants don’t have a right to voice their concerns to the HOC Board of Commissioners in Montgomery County, MD regarding their quality of life, the HOC Board do have a resident Commissioner. That resident Commissioner refuses to properly represent ‘all” Section 8 participants when it comes to voting for their quality of life. If so, why she didn’t enforce the Director of HOC to contact or send letters to those residents she supposes to represent concerning this new policy? Let’s not forget that politics play a part as Montgomery County MD local government nominate and vote such members on the HOC Board of Commissioners who don’t communicate with “all” residents under the HOC program (violating 24 CFR 964 and 24 CFR 245 Resident participation), they are on the HOC Board to self- serve themselves. Section 8 voucher holders are human beings, citizens in America, who vote on elections and pay taxes, too.
Many residents I had spoken to is afraid, while we try to figure out this letter written to us by the HOC Director. the problem is the Section 8 voucher participants can’t afford where they live if HOC decreases their voucher, they are forcing them to move to undesirable areas in Montgomery County, MD where there are problems with gangs, violence, Section 8 female participants are experiencing sexual harassment and assault by predators and some zip codes approves voucher increase has the worst slumlords. This policy also creates a hardship to accumulate another security deposit and moving expenses which the Section 8 participants can’t afford while on a fixed income or receive minimum wages from their employment. How they are going to eat? Afford medical bills or medicine? Pay for transportation? Pay their utility bills while HOC decided to decrease their voucher. According to HUD, Section 8 voucher absence constitutes prima evidence that such neighborhoods are discriminating against the protected class by denying equal access to safe communities. While Section 8 voucher believe that Montgomery County government is discriminating against them with the desire to move Section 8 voucher participants out of Montgomery County, MD because they are not welcome here as HOC is promoting an unstable living environment.
On March 20, 2017, the MD House of Delegates passed a bill that would prevent landlords from refusing to lease a home to a person merely because they have a government voucher to help pay their rent. The bill is designed to give holders of Housing Choice Vouchers (often referred to as the Section 8 program) and other recipients of government aid more choice about where they live and help them move to more affluent areas. But this letter by the HOC Director Mr. Stacey Spann sent to the Section 8 participants on March 29, 2018, to decrease the voucher by zip code is against the House Delegates bill, it imposes a threat to Section 8 voucher holders, they will choose undesirable areas to live and this policy is discriminatory because it doesn't give them a choice to live due to unaffordability.
In 1991, Montgomery County added “source of income” as a protected class under its Human Rights Act and prohibited landlords from refusing to rent or imposing differing conditions on a prospective tenant just because they wanted to use some form of federal, state or local rent subsidy. According to ERC during 2008, they conducted both phone and in-person tests at 99 Montgomery County rental properties to determine if landlords were refusing to accept vouchers as payment for rent. In October 2008, the ERC released its investigative report, A Step Away from Homelessness, documenting a significant rate of discrimination by Montgomery County landlords against Housing Choice Voucher Holders. The ERC’s investigation and testing have led to nine actions before the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights and the courts to protect Voucher Holders’ rights. Are we returning back to history – segregation supported by HOC, HOC Commissioners and the Montgomery County government?
The letter that was sent on March 29, 2018, is a step away from homelessness and evicting vulnerable residents out of Montgomery County, MD indirectly whereas presently there isn’t enough affordable housing or disabled accessible apartments in Montgomery County, MD. The insulting part is that HOC Director and HOC Commissioners are treating the Section 8 voucher holders inhumanely and illiterate to participate in voicing their concerns about this policy. To decrease the voucher based on zip code is discrimination. Section 8 participants must choose to have lights, (disabled and Seniors) pay medical expenses or rent is creating financial hardship and housing instability (as the rent goes up and the voucher is decreased) Section 8 participants can't afford their home.
Now we have to wonder when the HOC Director, HOC Commissioners and Montgomery County government are going to include Section 8 voucher holders in the decision-making process before they execute such lawless policies or continue to allow this HOC Director to relentlessly exclude, discriminate and treat Section 8 voucher holders inhumanely by suppressing their voice? This supposes to be a political Democratic county. I was threatened because I bring concerns like this to the public which HOC is a public entity who violates civil rights, I have a right to voice my grievances it's a Constitutional right however in Montgomery County, MD they "bully and threaten" the vulnerable community.
References:
HUD Final Rule
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/AFFH_Final_Rule.pdf
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT OFFICE OF FAIR HOUSING AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION: On Fair housing local and State https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/912366/download
State and Local Governments (Title II) Disability/ADA suppose to protect disabled persons https://www.ada.gov/ada_title_II.htm
HUD AFFH RULE BOOK: Empowering residents in Fair Housing Planning
https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/AFFH-Rule-Guidebook.pdf
AFFH Fact Sheet
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/AFFH-Fact-Sheet.pdf
AFFH Fact Sheet
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/AFFH-Fact-Sheet.pdf
