CITY SHOULD NOT RUSH IN ON PUBLIC HOUSING ISSUE

Cape Girardeau finds itself about to engage in a municipal debate that seems never-ending: At what point does a city get into the business of housing its citizens? The city council will appoint a Housing Task Force next month to study the matter, and some proponents of this move suggest appointment of a housing authority and construction of federal public housing might be logical next steps. The task force might produce some eye-opening data, but we urge the city governing body to give careful consideration to this issue and not rush into a public housing commitment.

Advocates of public housing here claim low-income residents must live in squalid conditions and that funding for federal housing assistance is inadequate. While more than 300 families in Cape Girardeau benefit from rent subsidies supplied by the Section 8 program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a like number are on a waiting list for these vouchers, they say.

Assuming their figures are accurate, construction of public housing units would not automatically solve the problems. In fact, the Section 8 program requires an inspection, and each rental property must meet minimum sanitary and safety standards before being sanctioned for a participant's use. And if there is a lid on the number of families that can get the vouchers, it is not the only federal program without unlimited resources.

The housing director of the East Missouri Action Agency, a state mechanism for administering the Section 8 program in this region, makes a good case for steering clear of public housing. With a program like the Section 8 subsidies, taxpayer participation is strictly monetary. In a collective sense, the public isn't a builder, a landlord, an insurant, a property main~tenance worker or a rent collector; private individuals handle that. Plus, the program is portable ... persons who use it are not restricted to living only where there are public housing units, but rather where there is suitable private housing.

A real problem in Cape Girardeau is a shortage of rental units for all income levels, not just the lower end of the earnings spectrum. However, this should be viewed as a market condition, not a government shortcoming. Attention, developers: a need exists and the free market system can be put to work. Instead of citizens ~asking government to solve the problem, they should convince private sources there is a market shortage and perhaps a profit to be made. Why make taxpayers co-owners of housing units when private developers might see some incentive in doing just that?

We do not blind ourselves to the fact some landlords take advantage of the Section 8 program; as with any federal program, oversight remains necessary to dissuade those inevitable (and few) folks who will abuse the system. But the voucher program has advantages that outweigh its faults.

In this community (and any community), quality and affordable housing is critical to the health and mental well-being of citizens, and we feel some interesting things can be learned by the task force. However, we believe compelling evidence should be forthcoming before Cape Girardeau commits itself to the appointment of a housing authority and opening the door to public housing.