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Comment by maxsilver | Hacker News Reader

We effectively already offer this in the US -- it's Section 8 "Housing Choice Voucher", as the article mentions.

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_choi...

You will find that places accepting Section 8 vouchers are highly concentrated, poorly connected to transit, and highly segregated. Local property owners often vigorously fight zoning that allows any new, better connected, or mixed income development that accepts section 8 payments. So in effect you get privately managed projects. Its pretty tragic really.

Is there a good reason this aid is given as a voucher versus giving out money against proof of a rental contract (e.g. how it works in Finland)? Simplified bureaucracy? This would solve at least some of the discrimination problems since there wouldn't be a class of people recognizable by them holding a special form of money.

What specifically does "against proof of a rental contract" mean? Rental contracts, at least apartment ones here in the states, often require some up front cash. Is this not the case in Finland? If it is the case, is the government provided money given to the render before or after the contract? If given before, how do they prevent people from just stealing it? If given after, how do people without money provide the up-front cash?

These and similar questions are some common reasons behind using vouchers/stamps instead of cash.

Yeah, this is one of many reasons I'm in favor of direct cash grants rather than vouchers and dispensation of services that could be purchased more cheaply on an open market. Don't get me wrong, I'm not free market zealot, but the current housing voucher program is one of the least efficient means of housing individuals I can imagine.

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