Ann O’Hanlon

A federal program that provides housing vouchers for low-income tenants—known as Section 8—has helped millions of families to find safe, affordable housing. However, contends Ann O’Hanlon in the following viewpoint, landlords are increasingly refusing to accept Section 8 vouchers; in the Washington, D.C., area, approximately half of the landlords who used to accept vouchers no longer do so. According to O’Hanlon, landlords can make more profit and avoid bureaucratic regulations by rejecting tenants with vouchers. O’Hanlon is a Washington Post staff writer.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What are the signs of the voucher crisis across the country, as stated by O’Hanlon?
2. According to the author, what is the trade-off for higher subsidized rents?
3. What must a...