Housing assistance

The city is doubling the amount of low-interest loans that first-time homeowners can qualify for in its Home Purchase Assistance Program, but analysts say that only addresses part of the problem.

Housing vouchers can change recipients' lives but often come after years of waiting.

In Erie, Pennsylvania, where more than a quarter of residents live in poverty, many are in "chronic crisis mode," one social worker says.

For tenants, the problems include mold, lead paint and broken boilers that force residents to use their ovens to keep warm during the winter.