Letter to the Editor: A solution
BY Eric Robb, Tulsa
Sunday, January 20, 2013
1/20/13 at 7:35 AM
The crime problems in the 61st Street-Peoria Avenue-Riverside Drive area can be solved very quickly. All the city needs to do is to forbid the acceptance of Section 8 housing in that area. Nothing will cause a neighborhood to go downhill faster than allowing large numbers of these rent subsidies. It's another case of the government trying to help people out without thinking through the consequences.
Along with the hard-working people who need a hand up come others who need help because of drug addiction, mental illness or some other anti-social behavior.
The apartment complex owners who turn their units into Section 8 housing don't care about the tenants or the conditions they live in. They are only concerned about the easy money that is coming from the government. These handouts also discourage marriage because many couples would lose their benefits if both incomes are counted in the assessment.
According to the Tulsa World, in the 61st-Peoria-Riverside area there are 1,287 units available for Section 8 housing. Is it any wonder that the area has become a combat zone? If the city cannot completely ban these subsidies they should at least force the owners to limit the number of units that can be used for that purpose.
A better use of the money would be to give the funds directly to the tenants so that they can choose where they want to live and not be forced into rundown apartments in dangerous areas.
Letters to the editor are encouraged. Send letters to letters@tulsaworld.com.
Associated Images:
Tulsa Police patrol the Fairmont Terrace apartment complex Jan. 8 after four women were found shot dead at the apartments.MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
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