To: Honorable Chair and Commissioners
From: Rick Tooker, Community Development Director
Prepared By: Michael Kucz, Rental Assistance Program Supervisor
TITLE:
Title
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Payment Standards
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendationle
Adopt a resolution approving updated Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Payment Standards.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (the "Voucher Program") uses payment standards, which are the maximum subsidies that the Housing Authority can pay on behalf of a family ("Payment Standards") based on the annual fair market rents ("FMRs") established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"). Fiscal Year 2019 FMRs are calculated using the 2015 American Community Survey ("ACS") one-year data, the 2011-2015 five-year data and information from local survey data. The latest FMR rates were published in the Federal Register and were effective October 1, 2018.
The Housing Authority is required by HUD to set the Payment Standard between 90% and 110% of the FMR for each bedroom size. The level at which the Payment Standard is set directly affects the amount of subsidy a family will receive, and the amount of rent paid by program participants. It also directly impacts the number of units that participants can rent within the Payment Standard. If the Payment Standard is too low, families may need to pay more than they can afford, or families may have a hard time finding housing.
The FMRs for Fiscal Year 2019 increased by 6% to 9% depending on bedroom size. The proposed Payment Standard revisions would similarly increase the Payment Standards by 6% to 9%. Voucher holders in general have been having an increasingly difficult time locating units in Napa County that rent within the current Payment Standards. The success rate over the past year for voucher holders utilizing their vouchers is 65%. Lack of affordable rentals is not the only reason ...
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