Section 8 Housing Expanding to Upscale Neighborhoods

August 2, 2010  Wall Street Journal

Welcome to Paradise - Dawn Wotapka

The houses in Paradise, a community

in Henderson, Nev., are typical of the

upgraded homes some tenants rent using

a government subsidy.

HENDERSON, Nev.—When Shawnetta Newburn left her drug-infested St. Louis neighborhood in search of a better life for her family in Las Vegas, she didn't expect to live in a house with frills worthy of a McMansion.
But Paradise awaited.
That's the name of the gated community where Ms. Newburn, a single mother who makes $10.50 an hour as a pawn-shop cashier, rents a three-bedroom townhouse with soaring ceilings, a gas-fueled fireplace and an oversize walk-in closet in the largest bedroom. The master bath even includes an enclosed toilet room, a feature popular in mini-mansions.