About 1,000 Houston families won't get the housing assistance they were promised

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - “Right now it feels like we’re the bearer of bad news,” said Houston Housing Authority President Troy Gunsolley.

HUD is telling the Houston Housing Authority to rescind vouchers from people who are looking for a place to rent right now but haven’t completed the process.

According to the HHA president, at least 900 Houston-area families will be affected.

That’s 900 families who were told they qualify and will get help paying their rent.

But now that’s not going to happen.

Thousands of current voucher recipients who already have apartments or homes they are renting will continue to get assistance.

The Housing Authority says this is all due to a federal funding shortfall.

“It could get worse,” said Gunsolley. “We are watching the budget situation in Congress closely and there is talk that it could get even worse.”

On Thursday the Houston Housing Authority will start notifying those who will not be getting the assistance they were promised.

In just the Houston region alone, the Housing Authority says there are over 400,000 households that would qualify and need help with affordable housing.

When you take out the elderly and disabled, the Houston Housing Authority says 75 percent of those they help are working.

“The problem is they’re working low skilled jobs that don’t pay enough to have a decent place to live,” said Gunsolley.