New Section 8 vouchers for low-income individuals have been frozen by the Santa Barbara Housing Authority.

The need for subsidized housing is great: There are more than 7,700 people in Santa Barbara currently on the list for a voucher.

Rob Fredericks, executive director of the Santa Barbara Housing Authority, explains the reason for the halt, and what it means for Santa Barbara, in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina.

“With a voucher they get their choice to live where they want to live in the private market,” Fredericks said. “It’s been a longstanding program to help low-income families, seniors and disabled individuals to be able to afford a place they can call home.”

With Section 8 Vouchers, a program started in 1972, the tenant pays no more than a third of their income and the Housing Authority, via funding from the federal government, pays the rest of the market rent in the private sector.

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Funding for the program is facing a shortage nationwide, but exacerbated by the high rents in California. The uncertainty around potential federal cuts funding for various programs has cast further doubt on the stability of the program.

Fredericks in the podcast explains that people with current vouchers won’t be affected, but the Housing Authority won’t be issuing new vouchers for people on the list for likely a year.

Fredericks also gives us an update on various Housing Authority projects, including Bella Vista and Jacaranda Court, which it turns out the Housing Authority may have to unexpectedly dip into its reserves to fund after a private investor pulled out.

Joshua Molina is journalist who currently writes for Noozhawk and teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City College. He formerly covered politics and land use for the San Jose Mercury News. Santa Barbara Talks is an independently owned podcast where Molina looks to bring together voices from all perspectives to discuss and provide solutions to the challenges related to housing, education, transportation and other community issues. Subscribe to his podcast here and consider a contribution here.