In regard to the availability of public assistance, whether people receive a “hand-up” or a “hand-out” is not the issue. The issue here is that the fair housing system in New Hampshire is definitely a thumbs-down. As of July 2008, I will have waited on the Section 8 housing list for three years.

Manchester Housing Authority Apartment Building

I am a single parent with one child. I make $10 an hour and work 43 hours a week. The reality is that a “cheap” two-bedroom apartment in Manchester goes for $800 per month, not including utilities. Moving into one of these “cheap” places without any help would be to cut my own throat. One may find rent in a surrounding town to be slightly less expensive, although as of late commuting is not an option.

In April I received a congratulatory letter from the Manchester Housing Authority. My name had come up on the Section 8 list. After my income had been verified, I was to expect a voucher from the program. I was led to believe that this would take about two months.

I was excited for a few weeks. My son and I stay with my mom and sister in a 650 square foot apartment with F-quality air. Lack of space is a serious problem. My son had his 7th birthday party in March. Before the confetti had cleared, I was carting off his newly received presents to my $60 per month storage unit.

Last week I received a letter of regret from the housing office. Though my number was up, I am getting skipped along with “higher income” people on the list to accommodate the lowest and no income families. This is to enable the Manchester office to receive federal funding. The decision was made based on the blown-up figure of $22,800, or my gross anticipated annual income. Based on the 30% median income guideline for a family of two, approximately $4400 in theoretical money is keeping me from immediate help.

My whole experience with the housing office has become a catch-22. To qualify now for Section 8 preferences I can choose to a) dump my job and become so poor that I have to be selected or b) become pregnant with twins so that my anticipatory income will be just under the guideline of $23,050 for a family of four.

My regret is that the system in place sets families up for failure. Any program that discourages individuals from working harder in order to obtain an affordable place of their own is simply unreasonable.

Colby Lynch