Voucher cuts are unacceptable

Re “County to lose up to 2,500 rent vouchers,” March 14

The purpose of the Los Angeles County Housing Authority is to meet the needs of people unable to pay market rent for housing: mentally and physically disabled people, homeless and low-income elderly people and homeless families with children. How is it that a “poor management structure that created a bottleneck, with employees unable to process requests for subsidies efficiently,” is allowed by the Board of Supervisors to persist? Why is it that the most marginal people in this city are allowed to suffer because a public agency cannot hit its own targets? The loss of 2,500 housing vouchers annually is devastating to direct-service agencies with long lists of clients eligible for Section 8 certificates.

Besides receiving periodic updates, supervisors should be insisting that the voucher allocation be fully reinstated. They should also ensure that the Housing Authority has the resources and supervision it needs, including sanctions for poor performance.

CATHERINE WAGAR

Van Nuys