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Loophole in Luzerne County Public Housing?

WILKES-BARRE — There may be a major loophole in Luzerne County’s public housing. Newswatch 16 found dozens of people who live in public housing but ...

WILKES-BARRE -- There may be a major loophole in Luzerne County's public housing.

Newswatch 16 found dozens of people who live in public housing but who make enough money to afford their own place, and some can even buy their own house.

There were almost three dozen households reporting hefty incomes, but still living in public housing. That's while the Luzerne County Housing Authority says it has a waiting list of one to two years.

Karen Weltman said she waited two years before she was able to move into public housing in Kingston.

"It's devastating because you don't have any place else to live."

Long waiting lists are not uncommon at the Luzerne County Housing Authority.

"There's about 1,400 (to) 1,500 people on our wait list," said executive director David Fagula.

Fagula says it's the housing authority's mission to serve low-income families, but we found dozens of families living in public housing making plenty of money.

Newswatch 16 requested a list of all household incomes in the Luzerne County Housing Authority that make more than the county's median household income of about $44,000.

Thirty-three households last year reported greater incomes. One household reported an income of almost $68,000. Another reported an income of more than $73,000. And we even found a household that reported an income of more than $86,000, almost double the median household income in Luzerne County.

"The regulations do not require us to evict those individuals whose income rises above what it was at admission," Fagula said.

Fagula says once a tenant is in the system, the housing authority can't tell tenants to leave, no matter how much their income grows.

"The alternative is to evict and that doesn't sound like a very viable alternative. First of all, there's a great cost in eviction. You have unit turnover, there's a lot of cost in unit makeover. "

"If someone could afford to live out of public housing on their own paying rent, I think they should," said Rep. Lou Barletta, (R) 11the District.

Congressman Barletta says he wants to see more done on the local level to help those who can transition on their own.

"Public housing was never meant to be a way a life for people. It was a way to help people in hopes they could someday get out on their own. "

Fagula says mixed incomes add diversity to public housing. He says kicking tenants out is something the authority won't do, but it can help wealthier tenants seek other options.

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