By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Federal housing voucher program serves only a fraction of the need
876b5f6959
For families who need housing assistance, the wait list can take years or the list could be closed altogether. - photo by istockphoto.com/forca

In big cities, Section 8 housing voucher wait lists are either years long or completely closed, leaving the majority of qualified housing applicants without financial assistance.

Ongoing budget cuts to state and federal housing agencies that began in 2013, rising rents nationwide, hard economic times dragging families down to low-income quintiles and an influx of refugees are all contributing to the gap between housing assistance needs and the funds available.

“Right now, federal funds cover less than one-fourth of families in the U.S. eligible for a housing voucher,” National Public Radio reported last week.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program provides rental financial assistance to low-income tenants. The program currently assists 2.1 million households in the United States, but many more people are in need.

In cities across the country, housing voucher wait lists are opening for the first time in years resulting in a flood of applicants who will mostly be turned down.

The "Indianapolis Housing Agency opened up its Section 8 waiting list for the first time in 10 years (on Oct. 20) and got 45,000 applications for 6,000 open slots," reported The Indianapolis Star.

Douglas Rice of The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities wrote that Congress' sequestration budget cuts are to blame for dropping 90,000 families from federal assistance in 2014.

"As Congress completes the 2015 budget this fall, it should make a priority of fully restoring the vouchers lost to sequestration, or current voucher holders will face higher rents, while families on wait lists continue to pay unaffordable rents, risking homelessness if they fail to make ends meet," wrote Rice.

The lack of federal funds is most detrimental to children who are stuck in poor communities. “High-poverty neighborhoods can be bad for children's health, school performance and even cognitive development. Low-poverty ones, meanwhile, often mean they have access to better schools and do better academically as a result,” reported The Washington Post.

To get into housing sooner, families are moving to smaller cities where wait lists are shorter. One of those attractive places is Cheyenne, Wyoming.

“Cheyenne's Somali population has grown rapidly in the last couple of years,” NPR reported. “That's surprising because Wyoming doesn't have an official refugee resettlement program and most jobs around here require fluent English. But Cheyenne has one really big draw — housing assistance.”

The sudden flow of refugees and low-income families is straining the Cheyenne economy. But what hurts more is the program allows families to use vouchers from one city to live in another, which drains Cheyenne's subsidize housing fund by people who use the voucher for housing in Denver.

One expert said the solution is to involve charities in helping needy families afford housing.

"Brian Collier of Foundation for the Carolinas said one potential answer is to widen the community discussion of the issue, bringing other groups to the table" to help strategize and fundraise, reported the Charlotte Observer.

dsutton@deseretnews.com | Twitter: @debylene

Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.