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My wife told me that a friend of hers lived in a very expensive apartment, the Aqua Tower, in downtown Chicago that included Section 8 housing tenants. I thought she was mistaken.
And at least in Chicago, the options are for some people damned good. Much better than your humble blogger who works about 50 hours a week and is just getting by.
From Crain's Chicago Business--free registration required:
The high-rise at 500 N. Lake Shore Drive is the second-most expensive in the city, with rents for a one-bedroom apartment approaching $3,000 a month, well beyond the reach of most Chicago residents.Mistake? It's asinine!
But that's not too much for the Chicago Housing Authority, which has used federal tax dollars to pick up most of the tab for four lucky residents in the year-old building, with its sweeping views of Lake Michigan, a concierge and a dog-grooming center.
The tenants moved in over the past two years as part of a push by the CHA to expand its housing voucher program so that more low-income residents can leave the city's roughest neighborhoods and start a new life in places with low poverty and crime and close to good schools and jobs.
Yet some landlords say it's a mistake to use scarce tax dollars to pay ultra-high rents for a fortunate few when more than 15,000 people sit on the CHA's voucher waiting list.
According to Crain's, the CHA has approved of 706 "supervouchers" for fancy HUD-paid-for digs.
Back to my wife's friend at the Aqua Tower. The CHA tenants spent most of their time hanging around the pool and causing a ruckus. None of them had jobs, even though one of the goals of this ludicrously expensive program was to place people closer to where there are more jobs. And nearly everyone else living at there, my wife's friend told her, was afraid to say something to the management of the luxury building about the unruly residents because didn't want to be accused of being racist.
We live in a twisted society.
UPDATE July 29: ABC 7 Chicago ran a piece on this story. Click here to see for yourself some of these lovely buildings.
Or watch here.
6 comments:
Timeless true-ism: you can put pigs in the Hilton, but they are still pigs.
Or a modern, coat-and-tie, managment axiom: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast"
http://jonathanbecher.com/2010/05/23/culture-eats-strategy-for-breakfast/
In this story we also have the confluence with near-infinite fiat money.
Near-infinite money buys near-infinite government. And how does the organizational dynamic of bureaucrats with near-infinite money behave? The Iron Law of Bureaucracy says they will expand their power and control until some other power stops them. Back when government spending was limited by what the taxpayers were willing to pay for, the primary constraint upon government was that there simply was not enough money to fund every foolish bureaucratic desire. So, government tended to be forced to pay attention to its legal and Constitutional responsibilities first in proper priority. Now, with near-infinite money, there are far fewer spending constraints, and thus it is far easier for bureaucracies to run amok.
-- theBuckWheat
video record their actions and YouTube it for all to see
These people are not your normal mom and pop want a better life to improve their lot not matter how much money we spend. What a waste of money. SHAME ON ANY ADMINISTRATOR that put this together and allowed this theft. I live in a suburb near Chicago that began taking section 8 renters a few years ago. Besides the flood of illegals and now the slum renters that our tax dollars paying for our once well kept, clean, safe neighborhood is a far gone dream. One landlord that had a six flat just had to board the entire building because some of her lovely people that she gave a chance to decided to retaliate with her after she needed to take eviction steps by pouring cement down all the drains. Not only in their unit but they went to the basement and decided to cement everything there as well. That wasn't enough so they got to the roof and decided to make as much damage on that as they could. She was left with having to evacuate the entire building which now has to be gutted before anyone can live in it. This was after two years of neighbors going through hell with them as tenants while they decided it was ok to dump their garbage open in alleys and yard and anything else they wanted to do, including harassing other neighbors (myself included)by ringing door bells in the middle of the night, screaming, swearing in the streets, picking fights with other kids. It has been a nightmare. Some of them want a better life but most of them have never seen what that is. Before moving them to mix with regular population someone needs to use some of that cash they throw away and teach them how to live with other people. If any of you bleeding heart liberals don't like the truth keep it to yourself until you live through the nightmare you have nothing to say that I want to hear.
"afraid to say something to the management of the luxury building about the unruly residents because didn't want to be accused of being racist."
Let the implication of that sink in for a moment.
It might be interesting to see how these 4 wound up in this building. Did they know someone in the housing authority or maybe related to them.
Great blog These people are not your normal mom and pop want a better life to improve their lot not matter how much money we spend. What a waste of money. SHAME ON ANY ADMINISTRATOR that put this together and allowed this theft. I live in a suburb near Chicago that began taking section 8 renters a few years ago. Besides the flood of illegals and now the slum renters that our tax dollars paying for our once well kept, clean, safe neighborhood is a far gone dream Thanks for sharing.........
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