Family fighting to stay in apartment

AIRWAY HEIGHTS — A family in Airway Heights is fighting to keep its two-bedroom apartment after changes in federal housing assistance.

Michelle Ortiz and her son share a two-bedroom apartment. She’s on Section 8 and is unemployed, and the Spokane Housing Authority pays most of her rent.

But the federal government just cut the funding it gives to local agencies. To keep the same amount of assistance, families with an even number of people must have two people per bedroom, meaning Ortiz must share a room with her son. Ortiz worries she won’t be able to find a one-bedroom apartment and could end up homeless.

Spokane Housing Authority Executive Director Steve Cervantes says the agency is trying to help as many people as it can, despite the lack of funding.