Whose "flexibility"?

Any thoughts here about the State And Local Housing Flexibility Act of 2005, S. 771?

This is the Section 8 "flexibility" bill, which would allow housing authorities more control over their Section 8 voucher money -- among other things, allowing them to spend less of their money on the most destitute tenants. (See especially Section 109 in the bill's text at THOMAS.) The bill was much discussed at a Senate subcommittee hearing on the budget for the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), which opposes the bill. (You can read a couple of the prepared statements from the hearing on the subcommittee's Web site.)

So -- should housing authorities be allowed to use their Section 8 vouchers in their own way, even if that means changing the nature of the program by choosing to help tenants at higher income levels who need smaller subsidies per household? On one hand, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and some housing authority managers back the "flexibility" proposals as a way to let local managers use their hard-earned wisdom about what works best locally. On the other hand, many housing groups, including NLIHC, say S. 771 would hurt the neediest tenants and increase homelessness.

So what do you think?