Discovering Section 8 changes by word of mouth

March 27, 2024

It started with a message from a friend, asking what I knew about the situation. This was the first I’d heard of it. My friend heard about it from a friend. That friend of my friend heard about it from a friend of hers. The news spread, and we scrambled to learn the details, and how it would affect us. The news? The federal government is changing Section 8 housing voucher requirements this year. Today, two months later, I have more information, but none of the housing authorities in my area that I’ve checked have notified their tenants. Word is still spreading by word of mouth. And it’s spreading slowly.

I don’t want anyone to panic, but I also don’t want folks left in the dark. So I’m going to share what I know so far.

First, let’s take a moment to consider just how shitty this is. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) apparently changed the rules back in 2016, and the change was to take effect in 2024. That gave everyone 8 years to get their shit together. But they didn’t. The director of my housing authority told me that she only recently received information about this, and is still waiting for even more details. WTF? There are millions of people on Section 8. You’d think HUD would have a plan for this, but apparently, they don’t. Or they do, but it’s not a great one. Because every housing authority should really have gotten this information in enough time to formulate plans.

Section 8 is a federal program in the U.S. to help low income folks with housing. It’s a federal program, but it is administered by local housing authorities, and each can have slightly different rules. For example, one town might require housing inspections yearly while another could require them twice a year. I liked living in my former city, but the rental limits allowed on those Section 8 vouchers were unrealistically low. A big reason I moved to my current town was because they had much more realistic voucher limits – with effort, I could actually find a 1-bedroom apartment that met their requirements. No amount of effort would have made it work in my former city. These kinds of allowed differences are going to be very important for the current situation.

So far, I have learned about 3 changes, but my impression is that there could be more coming. Of course, it’s hard to tell, given the lack of transparency or notifications. I have spoken with my state and U.S. rep’s offices (and I spoke to my state rep directly), my town’s social worker, and the executive director of my housing authority. The representative’s offices didn’t even know about this until I informed them! One even told me that there is no asset limit, and sent me a pdf with that statement. I had to remind him that this is something new in 2024, and point out that the pdf he sent me was dated 2020. That’s how horrible the communication is.

The first change is an asset limit. Until now, there hasn’t been any asset limit. The new asset limit is $100,000. As the head of my housing authority said, to some people this is a huge amount of money and to others it’s very little. My understanding is that folks with more than $100,000 in assets will not be eligible for a first-time voucher. For folks who already have a voucher, it is up to their individual housing authority! Yes, that’s right, one town might enforce this new rule and the neighboring town might not. And it’s just down to luck whether your city/town enforces it or not. Just like whether your city/town requires one or two housing inspections per year. And while some housing authorities have already made decisions about this, others have not. Either way, there’s still a chance to say something. I’ll get to that in a moment.

The second change has to do with medical deductions. I spend a fair amount on medical practitioners, equipment, tests, and treatments that aren’t covered by insurance. This reduces my reported income, which in turn reduces my rent. Apparently, this is going to be changing. Unfortunately, I learned about this on the phone, like with all of the other information, because nothing is in writing yet. And I’m not sure I understood. It sounded like the minimum amount of medical expenses that would count is currently $4000, and that would be going up to $8000. That would be a huge problem for a lot of people! But again, I’m not 100% sure about this, so please check for yourself (once they actually know what they’re doing, that is.)

The third change seems like a good, but strange, one. Current voucher holders will be asked if their income is under a certain amount. On the phone, I couldn’t tell if she said $15,000 or $50,000. I’m guessing the former, but I’m not certain. If they say yes, then they won’t need to send in proof.

Apparently, these changes are meant to decrease the paperwork that housing authorities are dealing with. I can see how this would be the case. If someone says they earn under, say, $15,000, and based on their initial paperwork this seems likely, then the housing authority won’t need to go to so much trouble. If the minimum amount of medical expenses to count is doubled then fewer people with bother to submit receipts. If assets of over $100,000 knock people out of the program, then a quick asset check will take care of things and there will be no need for income verification. Yup, that part makes sense.

The problem is the human toll. HUD says they want to reduce homelessness. That’s a good goal. But these measures won’t do that! Let’s say I had $150,000 in assets. That would kick me off my voucher in some towns. In my case, without the voucher, my rent would go up $2000 in my current “affordable housing” apartment. Maybe I could find someplace cheaper to live, but the options are very limited, especially because I need a home without stairs. I would need to get a roommate, but then the chances are that they would eat gluten and I would get a lot sicker. A friend is currently looking for an apartment with a roommate and even then, her budget (which is $1100 more than I currently pay) is making that very difficult. Still, let’s say I get a roommate (a bad idea!) and only pay another $1100 per month. In three years and two months, I’ll be under the asset limit. If I pay the extra $2000 to stay in my current apartment, I’ll be under the limit in under two years. The problem is that I’ll need to reapply for Section 8. In my area, the wait lists are 10 years long. In other areas, the waitlists are closed altogether. In my current home, that $150,000 in assets would be gone in under 6 years, long before I’d be likely to get another voucher. Then what?!?

Now, I want to state here that I am very privileged, and I am grateful for it, while also feeling horrible that so many others are not. First, my housing authority is not implementing the asset limit which, yes, would cause me to lose my voucher. At least, this is what they say. I’ll feel better when I see it in writing. And second, my parents are able to help me financially. While they can’t cover all of my bills, they can give me enough to make things work. And as a last result, I could move in with them. This isn’t a great option, though, because (1) none of us would like it (2) their home has stairs to get in and the guest room is on the second floor (3) they eat a lot of gluten foods and wouldn’t stop if I moved in. Still, at least I wouldn’t be homeless, like so many others will be.

Now, if HUD really wants to reduce homelessness, you know what they could do? They could offer more vouchers! There’s obviously a need for more vouchers when wait lists are so long. What they should not do is kick people out of the program. These are folks who are saving up for a house, using their funds to cover medical expenses, paying off debts, and more. Taking away their housing vouchers doesn’t mean they’ll land on their feet. It will only perpetuate the cycle.

If you have a Section 8 voucher, there is one thing you can do: speak up! It seems that housing authorities are required to have a 90-day public comment period before instituting major changes like these. Few people go to these meetings or send in comments, so the ones that do speak up are heard even louder. Speaking up doesn’t mean the housing boards will listen, but it’s worth a try! Call your local housing authority and ask then their public comment period will start and how you can best comment. Attend their meetings. Make your voice heard!

Of course, the other thing we need to do is to elect more politicians at all levels who work to help low-income and disabled folks – I mean politicians who actually help us, and don’t just implement these kinds of policies (or appoint people who implement these kinds of policies) that might look nice on paper but which actually harm a lot of people. Low-income and disabled people are blamed for so many of society’s ills. We’re convenient scape-goats. But those problems aren’t our fault, and taking away our lifelines won’t improve anyone else’s lives. We need people who will fight for us, not against us.

Before I leave, one last thought: please share this. It is disgraceful that this isn’t being talked about. The only article I have seen came the National Low Income Housing Coalition. No major news outlets are discussing it, housing authorities (at least in my area) aren’t putting out statements, and even our politicians don’t know about it. I don’t want someone to get a letter in the mail letting them know they’ll be losing their voucher in just a few months. Or that their medical expenses will no longer count as deductions. That won’t be enough time for people to make arrangements, and the emotion turmoil will be so much worse. People have a right to know that they might be facing these changes. I rarely ask you to post my blog posts to social media or to share them with friends, but I think this is one case where it’s worth asking. We need to let people know what’s coming so they can prepare.

If you have more details about this situation, please comment below or email me! I want to have as much information as possible. I’ll update this post with anything I learn.

2 Comments | Educating, Frustration, Politics, Rants | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

“Women’s health” is still health – so why don’t we talk about it?

January 27, 2023

It’s been too long, and I’ve missed you all! After hundreds of posts (this is #799!) you’d think I’d have run out of things to say about living with chronic illness, but not yet. Sadly, there’s always something else. I have something particular on my mind today, and from what I’ve heard, a lot of you have had this on your mind at some point, too, so let’s dive in. Maybe in writing this, I’ll figure out what I should have said yesterday….

I had my big lightbulb moment 8 or so years ago, sitting at lunch with some other folks from my chronic pain support group. We had just finished the meeting, and were generally chatting. One person talked about her endometriosis pain, and the only guy there was uncomfortable and asked that we not discuss it. I was horrified. Why should we not discuss it? It’s what she was dealing with! Why do so many people of all genders feel that it’s ok to minimize or ignore any problems around menstruation, women’s reproductive organs, and women’s genitalia? Ok, I know the answers, and I won’t get into all of that. but let’s talk for a moment about the bigger picture here.

Pain is pain. Her endometriosis pain was as valid and worth talking about as his rheumatoid arthritis pain and my connective tissue disease pain. And by not talking about it, not only are we hurting sufferers by forcing them to be silent, but we are also limiting knowledge for everyone. I had heard at a young age about periods being on a regular cycle, but I was older before I understood that was a real thing for many people. It felt like a myth to me. To be honest, I still find it hard to believe that there are people who can predict when they’ll get their period, how long it will last, and how heavy it will be. Speaking of which, I was also shocked that my amount of bleeding wasn’t normal. Again, we don’t talk about these things, and I hadn’t known.

So often, anything related to menstruation (or even women’s emotions in general) are passed off as being due to hormones, as if (1) everything can be attributed to hormones and (2) anything caused by shifting hormones is invalid. WRONG!

And this is why this topic is on my mind today. Thanks to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) I have a very irregular and often heavy period. Yesterday I was in a lousy mood, and a bit impatient with the person I was working with via Zoom. I wanted to explain that it was because of my period. But I didn’t. This is a relationship where I definitely would have said I was grumpy because of severe knee pain, but mentioning my period felt inappropriate. And I was afraid of being passed off as hormonal.

Sure, sometimes the grumpiness is hormonal, but that’s not what it was yesterday. Yesterday it was that my period disrupted my sleep two nights in a row, every time I stood up I felt myself leaking, I was having to go to the bathroom constantly, my appetite was all messed up, and I had lost a lot of blood, so I was weak from the blood loss on top of the rest. (More than once I have had a doctor send me to the ER due to blood loss so I could be checked out. It wasn’t to that point, but it was still a lot.) I think that anyone who had these symptoms could have felt grumpy, too. If a guy had suffered two nights of bad sleep and then had lost a lot of blood, I doubt anyone would tell him to cheer up, get over it, or “just deal with it.” Yet we give that message to anyone who menstruates. That’s really fucked up.

And frankly, if my moodiness had been due to shifting hormones, that would have been perfectly valid, too! Shifting hormones sucks, and it’s treated as a minor things that women should be able to…. what? Ignore? “Overcome”? I’m not sure what is even expected, but I know that it’s unrealistic. At their worst, those hormones have been all-consuming for me, and it can really suck to live that way for even a day or two. I have struggled with it, and being told it isn’t a real issue is definitely not helpful.

I want us to be able to talk about this. If I’d been talking to a cis woman or a trans or non-binary person who had gotten periods, I might have said something more honest. But since I was talking to a cis man, I simply said that I was tired from two nights of bad sleep. It was a woefully inadequate partial truth. What should I have said instead?

What I want is for “I’m sorry I’m in a bad mood. I have my period and the blood loss and lack of sleep are getting to me” to be as easy to say as “I’m sorry in I’m a bad mood. I have a lot of pain in my knee today and the pain and lack of sleep are getting to me.”

What do you think? Should I have said the former? What would you have said? I’m really curious to hear from others who have been in similar situations. The whole thing is frustrating. We all know that sometimes that hardest part of chronic illness is the lack of understanding and compassion from others. And it’s so much worse, I think, when it’s not considered socially acceptable to even mention what we’re dealing with.

2 Comments | Educating, Frustration, Isolation, Rants, Symptoms | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Why vaccinated folks should care about others not being vaccinated

December 8, 2021

In the days of COVID-19 (from now on I’ll just write this as “Covid”), this feels super-relevant, but let’s be honest, this was relevant before, too, as we’d been seeing recent measles outbreaks here in the U.S. The anti-vaccine movement has hurt a lot of people. Still, I’ve recently heard people ask, “if you’re vaccinated, why do you care what anyone else does?” This question never seems to come from people who can’t get vaccinated for medical reasons, but from those who choose not to. There are so many reasons! I wanted to mention just a few that came to mind.

Just to be clear, I’m not going to debate the value or safety of vaccines. I’m pro-vaccine. If you have a problem with that, you’re welcome to skip this post. Or even better, to read it with an open mind and reconsider your stance.

I jotted down these notes a few months ago, but didn’t feel up to writing it all out until now. I wrote the notes before Omicron. Today, in December 2021, Omicron seems to be a huge threat, but we aren’t quite certain yet just how bad it will or won’t be. Anyway, without further ado, a few reasons why I care if others are vaccinated for Covid, and you should, too:

  • Young children are not eligible for the vaccine and are at risk of both getting and spreading Covid. Other people getting vaccinated will protect these kids.
  • There are people with medical issues that prevent them from being vaccinated. They need protection, too.
  • Ditto for folks who get vaccinated, but for whom it doesn’t work properly.
  • Emergency healthcare workers need a break. For some reason, a lot of people don’t “trust” medical science to prevent Covid, but still seek hospital treatment after they get Covid. These healthcare workers have been working a lot of hours this past year-and-a-half. Let’s have some compassion for them.
  • When ERs are overrun with unvaccinated people with Covid, a lot of other people aren’t getting the care they need from the usual issues (heart attacks, car accidents, assaults, etc.) Others’ getting vaccinated will free up beds for others.
  • I want this pandemic to end. Vaccines are currently the best way we have of ending this pandemic. I want to hug my family and my friends. I want to buy groceries without fear. I want to get medical treatments. I want to go on a date and be able to kiss the person without asking a million questions about their potential Covid risk. But we need a certain percentage of folks to be vaccinated for this to happen.
  • Even vaccinated folks can get long Covid, and that terrifies me. Long Covid can potentially lead to chronic illnesses and I really don’t want more of those.
  • Vaccinated folks can get very ill and even die from Covid. Yes, it’s less likely, but it can still happen. Combined with the potential for Long Covid, I don’t think anyone can say that vaccinated folks aren’t at risk.
  • We still don’t know the full long-term impacts of this disease. There’s been talk about impacts on the brain’s gray matter, among other things. I don’t particular want to risk that, do you?
  • I recently had a medical test cancelled because the office is short-staffed due to certain staff members choosing to quit rather than get vaccinated. As I told the person who called me, I’d rather have the appointment cancelled than be in that small room for half an hour with someone who isn’t vaccinated. But of course, let’s be honest, I’d rather more people get vaccinated so I could keep all of my medical appointments.
  • If more people get vaccinated, we should see fewer new variants. Yes, I wrote this note before Omicron. We all knew it was only a matter of time before we saw more variants. The only question was how dangerous they would be. And make no mistake, if people don’t get vaccinated and take precautions (wearing masks, distancing from others) then we will continue to see more.
  • You’re basically giving the middle finger to the thousands (millions?) of people who want to get vaccinated but don’t have access to it. You have the choice. They don’t. Do the right thing. Help others. Because for so many of the reasons above, and many more not mentioned, you getting vaccinated will benefit them and others.

Look, I’m no doctor. I’m not a scientist. I’m not a specialist of any sort. But I have common sense, I read, and I reason. And I can see very clearly that when someone says “if you’re vaccinated then why do you care if anyone else is vaccinated?” they are saying two things.

(1) They don’t care about others. They are saying that they believe I am as selfish as they are. Which I’m not. Even if the vaccine protected me 100%, I would want to know that those who don’t have the option to get vaccinated (young kids, people with certain medical conditions) would still be safe.

(2) They don’t understand science.

So there’s the little rant that I want to give every time I hear anyone ask this question. I’m guessing at least some of you reading this aren’t able to get vaccinated or have loved ones who aren’t able to, and are relying on others to do so. Let’s hope that somehow, some way, the tide turns and those who have the option to get vaccinated but have resisted will finally do it.

Leave a Comment » | Educating, Frustration, Rants | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

What isolation is teaching me about my health

August 20, 2020

While a lot of folks are venturing out into the world again, I am mostly staying in my apartment. During the hot days of summer I generally stay indoors anyway, since the humidity and heat trigger my symptoms. This year, with no other indoor places as an alternative, I am at home. And I am surprised at the impact it is having (and not having) on my health.

It became clear over the years that too much activity would lead to more fatigue, more pain, more gastrointestinal symptoms, and more random symptoms, but I could never be sure what constituted “too much” activity. I knew that resting helped, but how much rest was needed? More than that, I never knew if an increase in symptoms was from “too much” activity or from something else.

Then there was the food angle. If I had diarrhea, for example, was it from something I ate, “too much” activity, the weather, or something else? Even if I ate my own food, when I was out of the house I would wonder if I could have gotten gluten cross-contamination somehow. What if I ate food made by someone else? Would that be safe?

With so many variables eliminated, it is fascinating to see what remains. Aside from a couple of carefully chosen convenience foods (mmm, gluten-free frozen pizza!) I have eaten an item made by someone else only once in the past 5+ months: a birthday cake. My mother made it, and I trust her to make sure it is gluten-free, corn-free, and free of any cross-contamination. I have not eaten at a restaurant or even gotten takeout. My avoidance of takeout is partly from Covid concerns, partly from convenience (there aren’t many places near me with food I can eat anyway), and largely because I am enjoying the safety of eating my own food. Yes, I’m tired of constantly cooking and constantly washing dishes, but I love the confidence that my food is safe.

Of course, it’s not all easy peasy. Twice I was about to eat frozen vegetables when I realized they weren’t my usual brand (the downside of having someone else do my grocery shopping.) I checked the bag and each time, there was a risk of cross-contamination. Yikes! I am so thankful that I caught them both in time.

For the most part I have felt pretty good. That tells me a lot about the impact of activity level on my health. I was especially aware of this through mid-June. I had almost no pain aside from the predictable pain that came from not attending physical therapy. Then the weather shifted. I am so incredibly thankful to live in an apartment with central air conditioning. None of my previous apartments had it, and when I moved several years ago, I made it a priority. I am especially grateful for that now that I am in isolation. In previous summers, when my window units weren’t sufficient, I would sit at the library, exercise by walking around a craft store, or spend several days at my parents’ house, enjoying their company and their air conditioning. With none of those as acceptable options now, I am stuck at home. Still, even with the door closed and the air conditioning on, the weather seems to be impacting me. And when I do venture out to check the mail or take a short walk, I feel it even more.

I am glad that, as I wrote last month, I am less heat intolerant now than I used to be. Still, “less than before” still doesn’t mean I can handle it well. For two weeks I barely left my apartment. It wasn’t good for me physically or emotionally, but the alternative seemed worse. Even while staying indoors I had increased fatigue (perhaps from the lack of outdoor movement? but probably not), increased joint pain (ditto? but probably not), increased inflammation, and increased gastrointestinal symptoms. The inflammation is bad. My knees are so swollen that my knee braces barely fit. My physical therapist (the one person I get within 10 feet of) put her hands on my neck and shoulders and instantly said that she felt the inflammation. This is not good.

Two weeks ago I received test results: I am hypothyroid. Again. I have had to adjust my medication many times over the years, sometimes in the summer and sometimes in the winter. However, this time I can rule out a lot of factors that could be impacting my thyroid. After all, not a lot else is going on!

Yesterday I felt lousy. I had diarrhea followed by fatigue. It was easy to cancel my “plans” for the rest of the day, which consisted of writing a blog post here, taking a walk, doing my physical therapy, and doing some organizing around the apartment. Instead, I watched tv and crocheted. It was relaxing and it helped. Normally I might have thought I had done “too much” that day, or wondered about something that I ate outside of my home. Instead, I could narrow the culprit down to two things: the weather and what I ate. I had eaten ice cream after lunch, which is usually fine, but I’ve had a lot of dairy lately and maybe it was just too much. And right before lunch I had felt hot on my way home from my walk. The humidity was bothering me, which is never a good sign. And then I ate immediately after I got home because I had a therapy appointment online that I needed to be ready for. Oops. I’m pretty sure those two things combined were the problem. It was good to at least have a reasonable guess as to the cause of the problem, and then to be able to easily rest afterwards.

The other day I met up with a friend. We took a walk, sat and chatted, walked some more, and went home. We kept our distance and wore masks. We were safe. But part way through the visit I felt ill, and I know 100% it was from the heat. On a cooler day I had met up with my parents. We didn’t walk as much and just sat. I felt fine afterwards, just tired. I’m not used to even small amounts of socializing any more. The difference was definitely the weather.

So what’s my point? My point is that I am getting a better understanding of how the many different variables of a “typical” day impact my life. I can figure out what makes me feel ill, and what doesn’t have an impact or even makes me feel better. The goal for me will be to use this information when, one day, I am able to go out and do things again. I will need to find a balance. Avoiding symptoms 100% is obviously not possible; if I can’t do it now, then I’ll probably never be able to do it. I also don’t want to cut off the rest of my life in order to sit at home and hide from my symptoms. Still, my hope is that I will get a better sense of where the balance lays, so that I will be able to focus more on the things that are worth the increased pain and other symptoms, and avoid the ones that aren’t.

I have also learned how big of a difference telehealth makes for me, and will advocate for its continuation. Several of my doctors have already said that they plan to continue with it, so I will need my insurance to cover it. Not having to drive for an hour to sit in a waiting room before finally seeing my doctor for a 15 minute conversation that involves no physical examination is waste of everyone’s resources, and I will be glad to see that end. I want to reserve my appointment-related energy for the appointments where attending in person actually matters.

With isolation far from over, I know that I will learn many more lessons. These are an excellent start, though, and I am glad that there will be at least one positive thing to come out of all of this for me.

What about you? How has your health been during isolation? Are you learning anything new or clarifying previous assumptions? Please share!

Leave a Comment » | Educating, Expectations, Fatigue, Isolation, Limitations, Milestones, Pain, Raves, Symptoms, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

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