While two great-granddaughters watched television in her apartment at Brookfield Residence, Janet Webster, a 75-year-old retiree, shared how the housing choice voucher program has enhanced her quality of life for more than a decade.
“For somebody who is on disability — I was hurt on the job in Colorado — and with Social Security, and I didn’t put much in, the income levels I started out with were pretty low,” Webster said. “I’m doing okay now with Manhattan Housing Authority assistance.” Webster worked as a legal assistant and later a truck driver in Colorado. While working as a truck driver, Webster was injured and sustained a chronic disability. Webster is one of the lucky HCV tenants who hasn’t faced much trouble finding a unit she could afford and is available to voucher holders, in part due to assistance from the Manhattan Housing Authority. That is, until the COVID-19 pandemic struck. “I didn’t have difficulty (finding housing) until COVID,” Webster said. “And everything raised in price.” Fortunately, Webster found an apartment at the Brookfield Residence, where she’s lived for several years now. Thanks to the discretionary income her voucher has enabled, she is eager to spend the summer with her five great-grandchildren.
Source: Kansas Reflector
