HACP’s Housing Choice Voucher Program Offers Successful Partnership Between Landlords, Tenants
By Andrew Wilson
If you own a rental property and you would like to receive guaranteed consistent, monthly rent, then the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (formerly Section 8) might be for you.
HCV is the nation’s largest rental assistance program. It helps lift more than one million people nationwide out of poverty. Many voucher holders work full-time but might not make enough to pay the full rent on their own.
“The Housing Choice Voucher Program is a subsidized housing program that gives people assistance in paying their rent,” said La Shawna Hammond, director of the HCV Department for the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP). “Residents can use the voucher anywhere as long as the landlord participates in the program and the property is habitable under HUD guidelines.”
Once a low-income family is deemed eligible to participate in the program, the HACP issues a housing voucher that identifies the size of unit the family qualifies for, as well as the maximum amount of monthly rent the family can afford to pay, based on income. The voucher holder then searches for a unit that best matches their family’s housing needs.
The program also offers benefits for property owners/landlords.
“The biggest perks for landlords, in addition to guaranteed payments every month, is an online listing of all the properties available, which a lot of prospective tenants look at, and rent can be adjusted to make sure that payments are received,” said Hammond. “By participating in HCV, they are also helping people in the community.”
“By participating in this program, landlords are helping to end the homelessness situation,” said Marsha Grayson, HACP’s Chief Operating Officer. “There’s a misconception that homelessness is people living in alleys or under bridges, but that’s only part of the issue. There are people not living on the streets but who are still homeless. They may be couch-surfing at various friends’ homes or living in their parent’s house. They are working, but they aren’t making enough to rent their own place. When you don’t have a key to your own house, it takes a toll on your mental health.”
The HCV program can change that. For residents – low-income families, elderly, disabled, and veterans – it provides the promise of affordable, decent, safe, and sanitary housing. HCV also has a tremendous positive impact on children.
“There is a social dynamic connected to homelessness,” said Grayson, who added that when families go through hard times, children may be given to relatives or put in the child welfare system because the mother and/or father can’t take care of them. “HCV reduces the number of children in the system.”
The HCV program provides a safeguard for tenants and landlords alike, which is especially helpful if there is an economic downturn.
“HCV covers the difference in contract rent, and the contract rent does not change if the tenant’s income goes down,” explained Grayson.
For example, if a unit’s monthly rent is $1,000, the tenant would pay, say, $300 monthly depending on income. The HACP would then pay the remaining $700 to the landlord. If the tenant’s income is reduced due to a layoff or another reason, HCV will work with the tenant to determine their new rent amount, and the difference will be covered by HACP.
If a landlord or property owner is interested in participating in the program, they can contact the HACP or visit the website: www.hacp.org/doing-business/landlord-resources/.
“If a landlord has a prospective rental property, the first step would be to fill out a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA),” said Hammond. “HACP will then send an inspector to do a safety inspection of the property.”
Valuable resources available to all landlords are the Landlord Partner and Property Search portals. The Partner Portal gives landlords access to payment and inspection history, direct deposits, and unit information, as well as forms to submit rental increases. The Property Serrch Portal allows landlords to post their available units.
Hammond noted there is also a monthly Landlord Council meeting for landlords, which is held both in-person and virtually.
“In each meeting we have an educational component, so landlords can learn from each other,” said Hammond. “The meeting is also open to landlords who are interested in the HCV program.”
Grayson stressed the HACP does not guide property selection. Any private property that will accept a voucher is applicable for the HCV program as long as it passes inspection. She said this gives people a choice of where they want to live.
“HACP screens residents for eligibility based on income, but landlords should still do their own credit and background checks of potential residents,” said Grayson. “It’s up to the landlords to screen tenants, as long as what they are screening for doesn’t violate the Fair Housing Act.”
The HACP currently has 5,200 active HCV vouchers, with thousands currently on a waiting list. Some property owners have multiple properties in the system, and many have participated in the program for decades.
For more information regarding the program and its benefits, please visit:
https://hacp.org/housing/housing-choice-voucher/community-choice-demonstration-project/;
the Landlord Resources Page: https://hacp.org/doing-business/landlord-resources/;or
the Housing Choice Voucher page: https://hacp.org/housing/housing-choice-voucher/.
Interested landlords can also call the HCV Department at (412) 456-5090.