Michele Williams knows the cruel ups and downs of getting a subsidized apartment in Kansas City.
For a time, she lived in a place that took her Section 8 voucher, which made housing affordable enough for her and three children.
But that lease ran out and, for a time, she’d tuck her children in at her mom’s place every night before sleeping in a car with her fiance.
Even though she qualified for housing subsidies and got a coveted Section 8 voucher, she couldn’t find a landlord willing to take her in — and take on the bureaucratic hassles that can come with government help on the rent.
“I’ve been turned down by a lot of people for vouchers,” she said. “They say that if you can’t pay out of pocket they don’t want to rent to you.”
Williams ultimately found another Section 8 apartment. But like so many people relying on rent vouchers to make ends meet, actually cashing in that help depends on finding someone willing to sign a lease that’s complicated by government rules and paperwork.