Housing Resource Center

Below is information provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on the types of available low-income housing assistance. For more information, please see www.hud.gov.com.

Low Rent Apartments

The government gives funds directly to apartment owners, who lower the rents they charge low-income tenants. You can find low-rent apartments for senior citizens and people with disabilities, as well as for families and individuals.

What is Public Housing

Public housing was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Public housing comes in all sizes and types, from scattered single family houses to high-rise apartments for elderly families. There are approximately 1.2 million households living in public housing units, managed by some 3,300 HA's. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers Federal aid to local housing agencies (HA's) that manage the housing for low-income residents at rents they can afford. HUD furnishes technical and professional assistance in planning, developing and managing these developments.

Who is Eligible

Public housing is limited to low-income families and individuals. An HA's determines your eligibility based on: 1) annual gross income; 2) whether you qualify as elderly, a person with a disability, or as a family; and 3) U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status. If you are eligible, the HA's will check your references to make sure you and your family will be good tenants. HA's will deny admission to any applicant whose habits and practices may be expected to have a detrimental effect on other tenants or on the project's environment. HA use income limits developed by HUD. HUD sets the lower income limits at 80% and very low income limits at 50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which you choose to live. Income limits vary from area to area so you may be eligible at one HA but not at another. The HA serving your community can provide you with the income levels for your area and family size, or you can also find the income limits here on the internet.

How Do I Apply

If you are interested in applying for public housing, contact your local HA. If you have trouble contacting the HA, contact the local HUD Field Office. How does the application process work? The application must be written. Either you or the HA representative will fill it out. An HA usually needs to collect the following information to determine eligibility: (1) Names of all persons who would be living in the unit, their sex, date of birth, and relationship to the family head; (2) Your present address and telephone number; (3) Family characteristics (e.g., veteran) or circumstances (e.g., living in substandard housing) that might qualify the family for tenant selection preferences; (4) Names and addresses of your current and previous landlords for information about your family's suitability as a tenant; (5) An estimate of your family's anticipated income for the next twelve months and the sources of that income; (6) The names and addresses of employers, banks, and any other information the HA would need to verify your income and deductions, and to verify the family composition; and (7) The PHA also may visit you in your home to interview you and your family members to see how you manage the upkeep of you current home. After obtaining this information, the HA representative should describe the public housing program and its requirements, and answer any questions you might have.

Will I Need To Produce Any Documentation

Yes, the HA representative will request whatever documentation is needed (e.g., birth certificates, tax returns) to verify the information given on your application. The PHA will also rely on direct verification from your employer, etc. You will be asked to sign a form to authorize release of pertinent information to the PHA. When will I be notified? An HA has to provide written notification. If the HA determines that you are eligible, your name will be put on a waiting list, unless the HA is able to assist you immediately. Once your name is reached on the waiting list, the HA will contact you. If it is determined that you are ineligible, the HA must say why and, if you wish, you can request an informal hearing. Will I have to sign a lease? If you are offered a house or apartment and accept it, you will have to sign a lease with the HA. You may have to give the HA a security deposit. You and the HA representative should go over the lease together. This will give you a better understanding of your responsibilities as a tenant and the HA's responsibilities as a landlord.

Are There Any Selection Preferences

Sometimes there are. Giving preference to specific groups of families enables an HA to direct their limited housing resources to the families with the greatest housing needs. Since the demand for housing assistance often exceeds the limited resources available to HUD and the local HA's, long waiting periods are common. In fact, an HA may close its waiting list when there are more families on the list than can be assisted in the near future. Each HA has the discretion to establish preferences to reflect needs in its own community. These preferences will be included in the HA's written policy manual. You should ask what preferences they honor so you will know whether you qualify for a preference.

How Is Rent Determined

Your rent, which is referred to as the Total Tenant Payment (TTP) in this program, would be based on your family's anticipated gross annual income less deductions, if any. HUD regulations allow HA's to exclude from annual income the following allowances: $480 for each dependent; $400 for any elderly family, or a person with a disability; and some medical deductions for families headed by an elderly person or a person with disabilities. Based on your application, the HA representative will determine if any of the allowable deductions should be subtracted from your annual income. Annual income is the anticipated total income from all sources received from the family head and spouse, and each additional member of the family 18 years of age or older. The formula used in determining the TTP is the highest of the following, rounded to the nearest dollar: (1) 30 percent of the monthly adjusted income. (Monthly Adjusted Income is annual income less deductions allowed by the regulations); (2) 10 percent of monthly income; (3) welfare rent, if applicable; or (4) a $25 minimum rent or higher amount (up to $50) set by an HA.

What Is The Role of the HA

An HA is responsible for the management and operation of its local public housing program. They may also operate other types of housing programs. (1) On-going functions: (a) Assure compliance with leases. The lease must be signed by both parties; (b) Set other charges (e.g., security deposit, excess utility consumption, and damages to unit); (c) Perform periodic reexaminations of the family's income at least once every 12 months; (d) Transfer families from one unit to another, in order to correct over/under crowding, repair or renovate a dwelling, or because of a resident's request to be transferred; (e) Terminate leases when necessary; and (f) maintain the development in a decent, safe, and sanitary condition. (2) Sometimes HA's provide other services that might include such things as: homeownership opportunities for qualified families; employment training opportunities, and other special training and employment programs for residents; and support programs for the elderly.

How Long Can I Stay In Public Housing

In general, you may stay in public housing as long as you comply with the lease. If, at reexamination your family's income is sufficient to obtain housing on the private market, the HA may determine whether your family should stay in public housing. You will not be required to move unless there is affordable housing available for you on the private market. IH Programs Below is a summary of public housing programs within the Office of Public and Indian Housing: Capital Fund The Capital Fund provides funds to housing authorities to modernize public housing developments.

Demolition/Disposition

The Demo/Dispo program was created in an effort to help eliminate old, run down public housing. Family Self-Sufficiency Family self-sufficiency (FSS) is a HUD program that encourages communities to develop local strategies to help assisted families obtain employment that will lead to economic independence and self-sufficiency. Homeownership A Public Housing Authority (PHA) may sell all, or a portion of, a public housing development to eligible residents or resident organizations, for purposes of homeownership, provided that a Homeownership Plan has been submitted by the PHA and has been approved by HUD.

HOPE VI

Since 1993, HOPE VI has been the engine driving the revitalization of the Nation's most distressed public housing developments by providing grants and unprecedented flexibility to address the housing and social service needs of their residents.

Housing Choice Vouchers (Formerly Section 8)

Allow very low-income families to choose and lease or purchase safe, decent, and affordable privately-owned rental housing. Moderate Rehabilitation Provides project-based rental assistance for low income families. The program was repealed in 1991 and no new projects are authorized for development. Assistance is limited to properties previously rehabilitated pursuant to a housing assistance payments (HAP) contract between an owner and a Public Housing Agency (PHA) .

Moving to Work Demonstration (MTW)

MTW is a demonstration program that allows housing authorities (HA's) to design and test ways to give incentives to families to become economically self-sufficient, achieve programmatic efficiencies, reduce costs, and increase housing choice for low-income households. Operating Fund The Public Housing Operating Fund provides operating subsidies to housing authorities (HA's) to assist in funding the operating and maintenance expenses of their own dwellings, in accordance with Section 9 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, as amended. The subsidies are required to help maintain services and provide minimum operating reserves.

Rental Housing Integrity Improvement Project (RHIIP)

Develops and implements plans which address HUD’s high risk rental housing subsidy programs. Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) and Neighborhood Networks (NN) The ROSS program links services to public housing residents by providing grants for supportive services, resident empowerment activities and activities to assist residents in becoming economically self-sufficient.