NMHC wants transfer of Sec. 8 recipients to private apartments

If Northern Marianas Housing Corporation Board Chair Juan S. Tenorio had his way, he would prefer to see recipients of the federally-funded Section 8 shelter program living outside government-owned subdivisions.

Mr. Tenorio said this would be of great help to local businessmen who have invested in apartment-type structures, and who are now facing difficulty due to the rising vacancy rate.

“Since I came to the NMHC, I always felt that government should not compete with private companies in providing homes to our people,” he stated.

Mr. Tenorio argued that if NMHC focuses on its voucher program, it would allow government to free up its time and resources in home construction for the underprivileged and provide private companies with new business.

He also noted that the voucher program would enable the government to collect additional revenue on private homeowners by way of property taxes.

Taxing homeowners who lease to underprivileged people under the voucher program is non-existent with the NHMC Section 8 housing.

Section 8 housing uses US Department of Housing and Urban Development funds to finance housing needs of indigent Americans. On the other hand, the voucher program gives the underprivileged federal money to rent homes from private homeowners.

Currently, NHMC has 280 Section 8 homes throughout the CNMI. But of the total only some 170 houses are being used or occupied, according to Mr. Tenorio.

“We want to privatize Section 8 homes. The NHMC still has up to 2004 to make up its mind to continue the program or get out of it,” Mr. Tenorio said. “NHMC is still studying what to do. But as long as I’m around, I would like our office to get out of Section 8.”

Mr. Tenorio also said he is inclined towards privatizing NHMC’s Section 8 homes altogether. He also noted that people now are more qualified to own homes rather than being subsidized.

“I want to sell those homes to people who need it. I want them to own it, instead of someone paying for it. That’s the program that I want,” he added.

There are over 400 people in the waiting list of NHMC’s slew of housing programs which total more than 10 at the latest.

However, Mr. Tenorio noted, his office could only award 20 to 30 homes to people each month.

The NHMC chair also cited 40 new independent home construction in its Kobblerville subdivision as well as three in Garapan, 10 in Kagman, and half a dozen new home constructions each on Rota and Tinian.