I've lived on government assistance for 20 years in multiple counties and it's been an absolute nightmare. We've had to live around drugs, violence, multiple murders, crime, sexual predators/criminals/rapists/pedophiles, gang activity, domestic abusers, child abusers, drive by shootings, home invasions, thugs, and so much more. We've moved so many times trying to escape the danger but always into another low income crime ridden neighborhood. I'm a single mom and the amount of trauma that me and my kids have endured living on low income rental assistance has been devastating. The police don't care, CPS doesn't care, Housing Authority doesn't care, property management doesn't care...
As far as background checks, those are a joke. There is a drug running, child abusing FELON living in my LIHTC complex on Section 8 who's got a criminal history of over 20 violent charges, trafficking heroin, pills, and cocaine, spent time in prison for stabbing someone, so many assault with a deadly weapon charges... And yet she's allowed to live on government assistance and continue to live a life a crime that makes it unsafe for everyone else... It's infuriating.