Omaha residents face increasing rental prices trend, the help provided by the officials is not enough
OMAHA, Nebraska — Dawaune Lamont Hayes, a resident of Omaha, commented that it has been difficult for him to find home in the city that is within his price range since he has reached adulthood and begun a career. “The price of renting a place in Omaha has soared in recent years. It wasn’t so long ago that a monthly rent of $1,100 for anything that wasn’t a house or a mortgage was unheard of. These days, however, rents of that amount have become the norm for studio and one-bedroom apartments.”
Rent is soaring in Omaha. The data that was provided to 3 News Now by Together reveals that the typical monthly rent for an apartment in the month of August 2019 was $927. In the month of June in 2022, the price was $1,101.
Vouchers for Section 8 housing do provide some assistance; but, given the current pace of rent inflation, some residents argue that the vouchers are not sufficient to keep up with the rising cost of living.
In December of 2019, the cost of a voucher for a single tenant was $610, and in December of 2021, that cost increased to $675.
“They want you to make three to four times the amount of rent, and right now, a two-bedroom apartment will cost you between 900 and 1000 dollars per month. That means that you need to make between three and four thousand dollars every month, and let’s be real: how many people in this situation [are making that]? If you’re using a housing voucher, you’re not making that much money, so that means that you need to make between three and four thousand dollars every month “one resident, said.
Because we feared for our safety, we decided to conceal his identity.
After the pandemic caused him to lose his work, he submitted an application for a housing voucher.
He said to 3 News Now that not only did the procedure to obtain Section 8 approval take a long time, but once he finally received it, he was subjected to discrimination. According to him, a number of landlords have told him that they do not take vouchers.
According to him, “I get the impression that people don’t look at the voucher program or the people who employ the voucher program as human beings.”
One of the reasons why Hayes hasn’t applied for the program is because of this.
“It places a strong emphasis on social class and racial distinctions. There are a lot of assumptions made about people who are looking for aid, and there are also many restrictions placed on how they can utilize it. Assuming you are successful in obtaining a voucher, who owns the property, and do you think they will view me as a whole person simply because I will be presenting them with a voucher?” Hayes stated.
