Apartments must meet basic criteria, like working locks, hot and cold water and a functioning bathroom, for a landlord to accept federal housing vouchers.

Unfortunately for many of Casper's low income residents, some housing officials say landlords with sub-standard units don't need to accept vouchers and face inspections to stay occupied -- someone will rent from them.

As Casper's population continues to grow, housing -- especially low-income housing -- only increases as a problem.

Most of the last major apartments in Casper were built 30 years ago.

New developers trickle in, but not fast enough to compensate for the growing population.

"Individuals that have housing don't understand. It's the western mentality, 'well, they need to cowboy up and get a job.' That's a simple way of looking at a much more complicated problem," said LuAnn Allhusen, the Casper Housing Authority director. "A lot of people are working and still struggling."

The line of people waiting to receive a housing voucher, as well as use a voucher, grew last year. While the department has been working harder to find housing for those in need, Allhusen predicts 2009 will be another tough year.

The housing authority issued 226 vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from mid-September through mid-November, and only 39 of those people were able to use them.

"We are still struggling," Allhusen said. "There's so many people in need and if they don't fit in the guidelines they don't get the assistance they need."

Some projects are in the works in Casper. An income-qualifying housing complex near Beverly and 21st streets will have 63 rentable units and another complex will be built next to the senior housing project on Elma and K streets.

But despite some increases, Casper's housing, both single-family homes and rental units, sits below the projected demand.

According to a recent HUD report, Casper needed to add another 870 single-family homes and 560 rental units to meet demand between 2007 and 2010.

In 2008, the first of the three-year period, the Casper planning office approved permits for 254 single-family-homes and 156 rental units. That means in the next two years, another 616 single-family homes need to be built along with 404 rental units.

As more housing is built, and rents increase, it can be more difficult for those in need to use housing vouchers. Assigned by HUD, the vouchers will pay for what the government established is the standard rent in the area.

Many of the rentable apartments are more expensive than the vouchers will allow, which means the assistance can't be used.

"Because of the rental market, some landlords don't want to deal with the paperwork or the inspections with the vouchers," she said.

Those inspections also include necessities such as a working bathroom, working stove, smoke detectors and functioning locks. If someone will pay to live there and the landlord doesn't have to fix the problems, some will choose simply not to accept vouchers.

This doesn't describe all Casper landlords, Allhusen said, but those issues, coupled with a general lack of housing, creates a difficult task for the housing authority.

For April Getchius, the city's community development director, 2009 holds many unknowns.

"Many of these projects that developers are doing are tax credit projects... the availability of funding will depend on the new administration," she said. "You tend to expect it to go up under this kind of administration, but we will have to see, under this economy who knows."

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com

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