The Lakewood Township Residential Assistance Program (LTRAP) has closed applications intake on December 31, 2004.
There are over 1000 names currently on our Waiting List.  When this Waiting List is depleted, we will publicly advertise the re-opening of applications intake.
 
BACKGROUND

Despite unusually strong income growth in the 1990s, an astonishing 95 million Americans had housing cost burdens or lived in crowded or inadequate conditions in 2001. In fact, more than twice as many people in this country face housing problems as lack health insurance. In 1991, a typical low-income family devoted 38 percent of household income to housing. In 2001, that share had jumped to 45 percent.

The housing voucher program is one of the major federal programs intended to bridge the housing affordability gap. But federal funding for the housing voucher program is severely limited. There are not enough funds available to assist all eligible households. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, three-fourths of eligible households receive no assistance. This results in huge waiting lists for housing assistance. The average waiting time for a housing voucher is more than 10 years in Los Angeles and Newark, 8 years in New York and Washington DC, 7 years in Houston, and 5 years in Memphis and Chicago. Moreover, even continued funding to assist those already enrolled in the voucher program is not assured. In FY05, some housing agencies will receive sufficient funds to run their voucher programs. Most will not, and will have to implement cost reduction actions.