Housing Choice Voucher Program
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV) (previously known as Section 8) offers its low-income participants the freedom of choice in finding a privately owned housing unit. The selected unit must meet HUD approved Housing Quality Standards (HQS) upon inspection and the rent for the unit must be determined to be reasonable.
Participants are provided a voucher allowing them to rent housing owned by a private landlord. The landlord must agree to participate with the HCV program. The voucher does have an expiration date, so participants must be aware of their deadlines in finding a unit. This tenant-based program does allow for tenants to move to other units and keep their assistance at the new unit. It is important to properly follow regulations on providing proper notice to landlords and housing authority staff when doing so; please contact your case manager.
Application – Pre-Applications to OPEN waiting lists can be submitted here. Hard copy applications to OPEN waiting lists can be picked up and/or returned at the Sandusky Metropolitan Housing Authority office located at 1358 Mosser Drive, Fremont, Ohio 43420 during office hours of public operation which are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM with the office closing for a lunch period from 12:15 PM to 1:00 PM. Hard copy applications may be submitted during the noted times, but online pre-application is encouraged to secure the applicant’s date and time. (Ottawa County Residents may seek assistance with application submission at the ORSI office 400 West Third Street; Port Clinton, Ohio 43452.)
Application information may need to be verified in order to continue processing the application. Applicants will be contacted to verify such information as they near the top of the waiting list. Therefore, it is extremely important that applicants keep their contact information up to date. After determining final eligibility, applicants will meet with their case manager to be briefed on the program requirements. After being briefed, applicants will be contacted to receive their voucher. Voucher holders will be provided a Request for Tenancy Approval form which authorizes the housing authority to schedule an inspection of the housing unit to determine if it meets HUD’s Housing Quality Standards.
As discussed in the briefing session, voucher holders should carefully consider where to find a rental unit. Items that could be considered are areas outside of the cities of Port Clinton and Fremont, proximity to schools, proximity to work, available transportation, neighborhood watch groups, environment in daytime and nighttime hours, and closeness to other community resources. Sandusky Metropolitan Housing Authority maintains a listing of landlords who provide information about available units which can be downloaded from the Forms and Information page or picked up at the office. Many landlords also advertise units available in local newspapers or publications. Click here for a sample briefing packet.
Once an acceptable unit is determined, the voucher holder and landlord will meet with the case manager to complete the rest of the required paperwork, including but not limited to, determining the level of subsidy, approving the lease, and executing a Housing Assistance Payment contract.
Voucher program units must be inspected each year to ensure the units continue to meet HUD’s Housing Quality Standards.
Homeownership Option: Sandusky Metropolitan Housing Authority does offer a Homeownership Option with its Voucher program. In certain circumstances, the agency is able to subsidize a mortgage for the family rather than rent to a private landlord. Please contact your case manager for more information about this opportunity. Homeownership option requirements can be downloaded here.
Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) Housing Authorities are required to utilize income verification methods including those provided by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. The EIV system provides information to the Housing Authority. A brochure about What You Should Know About EIV can be downloaded here.
Landlords
Landlords are encouraged to participate with the agency’s voucher program.
There are many benefits to accepting participants with this program including: Agency portion of the rent is sent to you on the second business day of each month, direct deposit is available for this payment, Sandusky Metropolitan Housing Authority conducts an annual inspection of your unit, participants must comply with program regulations and their lease to maintain assistance, and federal funding received to support this program are tax dollars that return to our area and are paid to business persons who are landlords in Sandusky County.
Click here to visit HUD’s HCV Landlord Resources Webpage which provides great information on participating with this program as a landlord.