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HUD Secretary Ben Carson, a person who reportedly grew up poor himself, wants to raise the minimum rent paid by the poorest Americans. According to a HUD proposal, individuals living in government-assisted public housing could have their rents tripled in a bid to spark these tenants to become less reliant on federal aid.
Curbed reports:
The Making Affordable Housing Work Act amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to raise the rent to whichever amount is higher: 35 percent of a family’s monthly income or 35 percent of the amount earned by working 15 hours a week for four weeks at the federal minimum wage, which amounts to around $150 at the current federal minimum wage.
Currently, tenants who receive federal assistance pay 30 percent of their adjusted income toward rent, with a minimum of $50. The new rule effectively sets a new minimum rent of $150, three times higher than the current rate.
Elderly and disabled families would be exempt from the changes and would pay rent according to the previous structure. There are also hardship exemptions that include situations where tenants would be evicted as a result of the change, a death in the family, or loss of employment or wages.
Auntie Maxine Waters once called the former brain surgeon an “educated fool” last year, but we’re not offering our opinion on that but this is definitely a questionable move.
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