Taxpayers are covering rents of up to $6,020 per month in Arizona, leading taxpayer advocates to question the growing duration of federal Section 8 housing choice voucher (HCV) usage.
“Section 8 needs to focus on lifting people out of the trap of poverty, not putting them into the lap of luxury,” said National Taxpayers Union president Pete Sepp in an interview with The Center Square. “It’s unfair to ask taxpayers who can’t afford mortgages or rents of six thousand dollars per month to foot the bill for subsidies amounting to that much.”
HCV recipients remain in the program for an average of 15.1 years — that’s up from an average of 12.4 years in 2000, according to a 2024 federal report.
When asked about a 2026 budget proposal from the Trump administration that would limit Section 8 assistance to two years, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner recounted his meeting with a recipient whose family had been housed by the program for multiple generations.
“She’s 52 years old, she’s been living there since 1973. She’s able-bodied, able-minded. She was raised there. She lived there. Now she’s raising her children there,” said Turner in a video his office posted to X on August 25, recounting a meeting with a multi-generational federal housing recipient. “That’s three generations living on government subsidies that are able bodied, able minded.”
“Time limits are kind of an encouragement, like ‘hey, you can do this,’” continued Turner. “We’re not just telling you to work, we’re going to have workforce training around you, we’re going to have skill training around you to get out of government subsidies, to live a life of self-sustainability.”
While the NYU Furman Center warns the change could push 1.1 million households out of the program, taxpayer advocates say some kind of time limits are necessary to prevent intergenerational dependency on the program.
“Congressional overseers are right to ask a question about whether there needs to be a rational time limit,” Sepp said. “It may not be two years, but it can’t be two or three generations.”
The federally funded Section 8 housing assistance program covers up to 110% of 40th percentile rents in the local area, with recipients’ out-of-pocket costs capped at 30% their aggregate gross income (with an additional 10% if the rental includes utilities). The income can include taxpayer-funded welfare payments.
Once admitted to Section 8, a household may use their vouchers for the program anywhere in the country, with the goal of providing recipients with “greater ability to move into ‘Opportunity Neighborhoods’ with jobs, public transportation, and good schools.”
There are now 4.6 million housing units funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, including 2.4 million housing units in the HCV program, which houses 5.3 million Americans.
In Arizona, the HCV program covers rents up to $6,020 per month for six-bedroom homes in the Maricopa County ZIP codes of 85298 and 85331.
Of the three available six or more bedroom homes listed for rent in these ZIP codes on Zillow, all were below the $6,020 payment standard.
In 85298, the sole six-bedroom home is on the market for $3,495 per month, and comes in at 3,266 square feet with its own swimming pool and a three-car garage.
In 85331, both available six-bedroom properties are on the market for $6,000 and are two-acre, horse stable-equipped, multi-structure, luxury compounds.
If a family with the average HCV household income — estimated by HUD to be $18,558 per year, or $1546.5 per month, including other welfare payments — were to rent this home, the household’s out of pocket cost for the home $463.95 per month. This would leave taxpayers on the hook for the other $5,536,05 per month in perpetuity, or until the recipient exits or is removed from the program.
According to Sepp, keeping out-of-pocket costs fixed, while allowing for portability encourages households to seek out the most expensive home they can secure, instead of trying to save taxpayers money, or choosing a home they could more easily afford on their own some day.
“By fixing the out of pocket exposure, the program is defeating one of its own purposes of encouraging responsibility in housing — if you’re going to pay the same amount of money, why bother with getting somewhere that costs less?” continued Sepp.
Should a household start to make more money than the area’s maximum Section 8 income limit — which for a seven-member household in Maricopa County is $69,600 per year — the family would be forced off the program. At $69,600 per year, a household that does not want to be rent-burdened — and thus spend no more 30% of its income on rent — could only afford rent of $1,740 per month, or significantly less than the up to $6,020 of taxpayer-funded value provided by Section 8.
As a result, earning more money could cost Section 8 recipients their housing. To not be rent-burdened while paying $6,000 per month on rent, a household would need to make $240,000 per year, or three and a half times the threshold at which a family would be removed from Section 8.
“It makes no sense,” continued Sepp. “There has to be a comprehensive, data-driven adjustment to all of these benefits.”
HUD did not respond to requests for comment.
I have several employees under the age of 30 and live in Maricopa County. All of them have long term relationships with a Woman and some have unwed Children with their Woman.
I was curious and asked one of my Single Male Employees the reason why these able bodied Men, who earn $80K to $100K a year why they aren’t married and buy a home. The answers were shocking.
Its because the Welfare and all the Freebie Social Programs throughout the State that give them thousands of dollars in benefits, if a woman has zero income and assets on paper.
Here’s how some do it;
1) Their Woman claims to have little to no income, no home ownership, no vehicle ownership, no savings;
2) Every unwed Child is a monetary value to them in the Welfare determination system;
3) Their unattached and unwed Man makes $80K-$100K per year.
4) The Woman get; a)Free Rent; b)Free Daycare; c)Free EBT funded Groceries; d) Their EBT Card gives her >20% of EBT benefits in CASH every month;
e)AZ. provides Free Healthcare for her and her Children.
While the highly paid Man/Father of the Children lives with the Woman; 1)Rent Free; 2) Eats for Free; 3)Has NO Child Support and; 4)Doesn’t have to pay for health insurance for HIS Children.
In this scenario the Man finances 2 $80K SUVs and pays for high-end vacations and all the other luxuries of a high life style.
This is possible because the State pays for 75% of this Family’s living expenses.
This information came right from friends of these Couples and I believe it. This person had no reason to lie.
Both Republican and Democrat in Arizona politicians have known about these atrocities and fraud and every year they fail to make changes in the law.
There will _always_ be politicians who will take a hand-up and turn it into a hand-out, to buy votes. The _only_ way to stop them is not to grant gov’t the initial benevolent power.
We need private charities to once again become a pillar of our society. I may be an atheist, but if it comes down to my survival I will go hat-in-hand to a religious order, because beggars can’t be choosers and pride doesn’t fill my belly or keep the rain off me. Scoundrels and grifters have so corrupted the common understanding of ‘dignity’ that it means whatever they need it to mean to benefit themselves, not the individual in question.
Bring back food stamps. Bring back restricted food stuffs you can buy with said food stamps. Bring back standing in line for ‘gov’t cheese’ and powdered milk. Being on the public dole _should_ be humiliating. For a brief period my family was on food stamps and while I empathize with my mother’s shame at having to pull out that little booklet to buy groceries, she and my father doubled their efforts to get back to a productive life. As a direct result they reaped the benefits of hard work – their own home, their own cars, educated children, and the fact that they didn’t have to answer to anyone for what was theirs or what they wanted or wanted to do.
Money can buy many things, but dignity is not one of them; it’s price is sweat, tears, worry, hard choices, and exhaustion; it’s reward is self-esteem, self-satisfaction, and the right to proclaim, ‘this is mine and no one else’s.’
*its (x2)
I doubt that anyone is availing themselves of $6000 a month rent but just the fact that they can is a problem.
Not to mention that if they earn more money, they might not qualify for AHCCCS either. Let the taxpayers cover your housing and you health care. Where is my thank you note?
WTH! Section 8? Seriously! It took me & my 7 small children, 9 years to work our way off section 8 housing back in the 80s. Rent was $700/mo for 4 bedroom condo in low rent housing district! How can anyone justify paying $6000 in tax money to house someone on section8??? This needs to continue being exposed and STOPPED!
I have retiree with COPD on oxygen who gets sect 8
he copays 1/3 cost ($240) because he gets SSI($800 month)
if he didn’t get sect 8 he’d be on street
sect 8 was meant for people like this
he worked his entire life
Wow, generation after generation living on the plantation on the taxpayer dime. Is it any wonder with all the money our worthless government pisses away that we are billions of dollars in debt and it will take this country under. From cradle to grave……generation after generation living on my dime. What BS.
Typical government. Wasting other peoples money.
Jeez, I wonder why we’re broke?