5,000 Poor Dallas Residents Stampede Each Other In Race For Scarce Housing Vouchers

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/07/16/270511/dallas-housing-voucher-stampede/

5,000 Poor Dallas Residents Stampede Each Other In Race For Scarce Housing Vouchers
By Marie Diamond on Jul 16, 2011 at 10:30 am
Thursday morning, 5,000 Dallas residents in need of housing assistance showed up at the Jesse Owens Memorial complex early in the morning, hoping to be one of the lucky few to get a coveted spot on a waiting list for housing vouchers. Only 100 vouchers were available.
Some people had camped out since Wednesday night, and the line was at least a mile long. When hundreds of people suddenly sprinted for the doors, at least eight people were injured, and some say they feel lucky not to have been trampled to death:

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Zachary Thompson, the county’s director of health and human services, said the turnout once again demonstrates the need for the Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8. By the end of the day, about 5,000 households had applied. [...]

The hard-to-get vouchers pay a portion of the rent based on household income. This was the first time Dallas County had opened its waiting list since 2006, and applicants may have to wait at least two years to actually receive vouchers.

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