Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV)

The WPBHA provides rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program. This program has 2989 units under contract with the WPBHA. The Section 8 tenant-based HCVP assistance replaces the former Section 8 certificate and voucher programs. The new, combined tenant-based program provides financial assistance to eligible families paying rent to landlords in the private market. Subsidy payments made on behalf of the family are paid directly to the landlord. These payments provide over $1,000,000 monthly into the local economy. The subsidy amount provided to the Landlord is the difference between 30% of the family’s adjusted income and the applicable payment standard. The Payment standard is the maximum monthly assistance payment that the WPBHA will pay for a unit. Under certain conditions the rent may exceed the payment standard if the family is willing to pay the difference. At the initial term however, the amount of rent the family pays cannot exceed 40% of the family’s adjusted income. This restriction only applies to the initial term of the lease. Adjustments made after the initial term require that the family and landlord are in agreement and that the requested amount is reasonable as compared to the prevailing market conditions. Under no circumstance may a landlord charge more rent to an HCV participant than for non-assisted tenants.

Section 8 Housing Counselors

Performs new admission and re-certification processing for families participating in the Section 8 Housing Assistance Program as required by Federal Regulations. This process is done by appointments and involves obtaining, verifying information pertaining to participants to re-assess them for continued eligibility. The work is very detailed and involves a large amount of paperwork. The Counselor is responsible for a caseload of approximately 250-300 families and completely manages their caseload, from scheduling appointments, to authorizing Housing Assistance payments. Contact Section 8 Housing Counselor