THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 26, 1994 TAG: 9408250171
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
It's all in how you look at the numbers if you're trying to determine whether the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority is being fair in handing out housing vouchers.
The vouchers allow families to rent homes outside of the city's public housing complexes, at rates based on their income.
Of PRHA's customers, there are 38 white families out of 2,229 families that receive services from the housing authority.
Some black activists have said that PRHA discriminates in handing out housing vouchers.
In a rally Monday, Clyde Toler, a vice president of the Portsmouth branch of the NAACP, demanded that more black families receive the vouchers. Of 394 vouchers available through the housing authority 366 go to black families - 28 go to white families.
Of 1,835 families living in public housing, 10 are white.
Black leaders have criticized PRHA because 99.5 percent of the people living in public housing parks are black. Of the families receiving vouchers, 93 percent are black.
If PRHA put all of its white customers in public housing they would comprise only 2 percent of the population.
When one compares percentages, a larger number of white customers do receive housing vouchers. Of the 38 white families who receive assistance from PRHA, 74 percent are given vouchers. Of black families, 17 percent of the 2,191 families receive vouchers.
Of all the housing available through PRHA, 1,835 homes are in public housing parks and 394 are available through vouchers. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
Public housing demographic<
Public housing families Black White
Dale Homes 289 4
Swanson Homes 176 1
Jeffrey Wilson Homes 400 0
Ida Barbour Park 624 3
Lincoln Park 177 1
Washington Park 159 1
Total 1,825 10
Distribution of vouchers to families
Neighborhood Black White
Port Norfolk 7 1
Waterview 11 5
Mount Hermon 4 2
Park View and West Park View 34 1
Olde Towne 9 1
Downtown 19 2
Westhaven 25 1
Truxton 22 0
Prentis Park 47 0
Brighton 21 0
Southside 11 0
Cradock 4 3
Highland Biltmore 33 2
Cavalier Manor 43 0
Hodges Manor 17 5
Simonsdale 2 0
Churchland 57 5
Totals: 394 366 28
by CNB