Ms. Tammy Ferrell is a resident of the Oxford Manor Community. She lives there with her 4 grandchildren. She recently resigned from her role as the President of the Oxford Manor Resident's Council and now serves as a member of the City of Durham's Affordable Housing Implementation Committee.
Ms. Ferrell has held a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) on two separate occasions. In both cases, she was unable to find a suitable place for her family in the amount of time given. The voucher has requirements for what size unit she could have and the maximum amount of rent it was good for. During her housing search, the only places that would accept her voucher were no better than public housing or were located in high crime neighborhoods. She believes DHA should work harder to find places for Section 8 tenants in less violent neighborhoods.
The last time the waiting list for the HCV program was opened was 2019 and now vouchers are being given to people being displaced from public housing due to redevelopment. She fears that the displacement of residents related to the Liberty Street redevelopment as well as future redevelopment projects in the pipeline will lead to further delays for people to transition off the HCV waiting list and into housing.
She says the city needs to do something to make sure that everyone has places to live, not just the ones who can afford the $400,000 homes being built across the city.
What was it like trying to find a place to live with a voucher?
On the challenges of finding a safe and secure place to live.
On the challenges facing people in need of affordable housing.
What can we do to improve the voucher program?