Housing Voucher Stampede in Texas

The Dallas County Housing Authority opened its Section 8 Housing Voucher waiting list.  Those who didn’t apply on-line gathered in the early morning, waiting for the authorities to give the nod to form a line.  The DailyNews.com describes what happened:

Before the sun came out Thursday morning, thousands of people had gathered around the Jesse Owens Memorial Complex in the Red Bird area.

The reward: a spot on a waiting list for Dallas County housing vouchers to help them pay the rent.

When, at 6 a.m., officials said it was time to form a line, a frantic rush ensued — the latest sign of people’s desperation for help in tough times. There were no serious injuries, but video footage of the chaos received national attention.

“Once they said we could go on the property, it was a stampede, a circus,” said Adelia Frierson, a 24-year-old single mother applying for the federally funded assistance.

Zachary Thompson, the county’s director of health and human services, said the turnout once again demonstrates the need for the Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8. By the end of the day, about 5,000 households had applied. Applicants for the housing vouchers are not required to live in Dallas County.

Atlanta had a similar situation in August of last year.  62 people were injured in that free-for-all.  Dallas County was a little bit more prepared:

Thompson said he would reassess the county’s process after news reports of the stampede. He said the county did not allow people on the facility property because officials did not want overnight camping. Still, he admitted that the county could not prevent people from arriving the night before.

“This is what you have to go through,” Thompson said. “It’s like when someone wants to get tickets to a sports event or the latest iPad.”

Thompson said that the Sheriff’s Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue did a good job of managing the large crowds.

“People are going to line up, and we just have to control it when it happens,” he said. “We were prepared. They got that thing back to order in seconds.”

 

You can expect that kind of mob mentality when the State gives things away.  I’m surprised there weren’t any “Sooners” all ready at the front door.

Source:  http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20110714-thousands-line-up-stampede-to-get-on-wait-list-for-hard-to-get-housing-vouchers-in-dallas-county.ece