Discussion Topic
Arleen's Struggles with Welfare and Housing in Evicted
Summary:
In Matthew Desmond's Evicted, Arleen Belle faces significant challenges in securing subsidized housing in Milwaukee, including a severe shortage of eligible units and the requirement of a large deposit. Her reliance on welfare stems from her low income, with rent consuming a substantial portion of her assistance. Arleen's situation is exacerbated by frequent relocations and instability, along with her depression, which requires therapy. These factors complicate her efforts to secure stable housing and financial support.
What challenges does Arleen face when seeking subsidized housing in Evicted?
In Matthew Desmond’s Evicted, Arleen Belle faces numerous challenges in her quest to achieve occupancy of a housing unit that is subsidized by the city of Milwaukee. The interconnected relevant factors include the scarcity of eligible housing and the requirement of a large deposit prior to her moving into the apartment, should she be assigned one. The overall instability of her situation is another obstacle, which is closely related to her low income.
The fact that relatively few housing units are eligible for the subsidy program means that there a very long wait list—more than 3,000 people—are waiting for their assignments. If she were to eventually reach the top of this list and be assigned a unit, the Housing Authority would require one month’s rent as a deposit before she could assume occupancy.
Living on the public assistance that she receives to support her children, Arleen cannot save enough...
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to pay a deposit. She also cannot afford to pay market rents, so she often makes temporary, shared arrangements and continually moves between residences. Her unpredictable schedule contributes to her missing appointments, which provides justification to case workers to reduce her monthly amount. This, in turn, further reduces her ability to secure public housing.
What led to Arleen's reliance on welfare in Evicted?
Like many people on welfare, Arleen finds that her housing costs take a big bite into what little money she receives. At one of the many places she and her boys move into, her rent takes a massive 88 percent of her $628-a-month welfare check. None of the other places she lives in are all that reasonably priced either, despite their dilapidated states and the rough, crime-ridden neighborhoods in which they are situated.
Later on in Evicted, Arleen needs to find yet another place to live. She meets with a landlord called Carol outside a plain, one-bedroom apartment that she's renting out. Arleen doesn't like the apartment or the neighborhood, or the fact that her boys would have to switch schools yet again, thus disrupting their already disrupted education. But she'll take the place anyway. “A house is a house for now,” she thinks.
Carol starts asking Arleen some questions about her background. During the course of the interview, she finds out that Arleen's on welfare. Apparently, Arleen is depressed and the authorities put her on welfare as she's going to see a therapist once a week. They're trying to have her do a job search, but at the same time, they're also getting her to apply for SSI, Supplementary Security Income, the largest welfare program in the United States.