Saturday, August 14, 2010
Atlantans gather for housing applications August 11, 2010 (photo: Vino Wong, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Wealthy Americans who think the financial crisis is over might want to consider what happened in Atlanta on Wednesday. Housing officials there got more than they expected when the application period for public housing assistance opened, drawing a crowd of 30,000. Between high temperatures, poor organization and people cutting in line, a mob scene ensued that resulted in 62 people needing medical attention, including a baby who went into a seizure because of the heat. All this in the hope of getting on a waiting list for 200 public housing units or one of 455 vouchers for rent assistance in private housing.
Some individuals waited in line for two days to obtain what are known as Section 8 housing applications, which haven’t been offered since 2002. More people showed up the next day, some as early as 5 am.
“Wednesday’s deluge of people seeking low-income vouchers in East Point demonstrated just how desperate the need for affordable housing has become in metro Atlanta,” wrote the Atlanta Constitution-Journal. “Some 15,000 Georgians currently are accommodated with Section 8 housing, with thousands more on waiting lists. Housing openings have been difficult to find anywhere, including rural areas.” East Point has five housing developments, but three of them are scheduled to be closed or sold.
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky
Thursday Calmer at East Point Housing Office (by Craig Schneider and Mike Morris, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Housing Crisis Reaches Full Boil in East Point; 62 Injured (by Craig Schneider and Tammy Joyner, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
30,000 Queue for Housing Assistance in Atlanta (by Katie Connolly, BBC News)
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