Rent Subsidies a Better Option Than Building

Regarding “Apartments Open for Mentally Disabled” by Diane Wedner (June 23):

Despite the budget shortfalls in virtually every sector of government, the spending spree continues unabated.

In another blatant example of government waste and overspending, I read that 29 units of studio apartments have been completed in L.A. at a cost of $3 million. While this project is undoubtedly well-intentioned, dividing the cost by the number of units constructed yields a per-unit cost of $103,448, an absurdly high figure for a studio unit.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to simply subsidize needy tenants? A studio apartment can be rented today for, say, $650 per month. If all 29 tenants were given a $300-per-month subsidy, they would be paying only around $350 per month from their resources. This would cost taxpayers only about $140,000 per year.

The government would be relieved of rent losses, maintenance and management responsibilities--generally major costs of running public housing. These would be shouldered by the private, tax-paying sector, and the $3 million would stretch further.

ALAN P. CUTTER

Los Angeles