What type of help is available?
The housing authority offers Section 8 Rent Subsidy only.
What is the Section 8 Rent Subsidy Program?
Section 8 Rent Subsidy Program
The Section 8 Rent Subsidy Program allows qualified families to “shop” for a rental anywhere in the county and when applicant is admitted to the program they will be offered a voucher which will enable applicant to only have to pay a part of the full rent. Once a rental is selected, it must be inspected by the housing authority and it must fall within affordable limits. If the rental qualifies, a contract will be signed between the housing authority and the landlord of the rental, under which the housing authority will pay a portion of the full rent directly to the landlord. This amount is determined by the income and family size of the tenant. The balance of the rent not paid by the housing authority is paid by the tenant directly to the landlord of the rental. The waiting list for rent subsidy program averages about 24 months – but can vary depending on how fast families leave the program and their “slots” become available to the next families on the waiting list. Participants sign a one year lease.
What makes a family or person eligible for housing assistance?
Those affected by the following circumstances are eligible for consideration for admission to public housing and/or rent subsidy:
- Families, disabled persons, or elderly persons who are displaced by government action or natural disaster.
- Families, disabled persons, or elderly persons who spend more than 50% of their income for rent and utilities (excluding telephone).
- Families, disabled persons, or elderly persons who currently live in substandard housing and have inadequate income to move, or
- Families, disabled persons, or elderly persons who do not have a place of their own (homeless).
Those who have more than one of these conditions do not receive any additional priority over those with only one. Since almost all applicants to the housing authority programs qualify for at least one of these circumstances, those who have none are very unlikely to move to the top of the waiting list.
The Emery County Housing Authority accepts all applications that meet eligibility requirements without discrimination toward race, sex, color, religious beliefs, or national origin. Applications are placed on the waiting lists in the order in which they are received in the housing authority office. In order to be placed on the waiting list an application must be complete. In order to be complete all necessary items must be turned in (i.e., family composition, copies of birth certificates for everyone in the household, copies of social security cards for everyone in the household, All members 18 and over must sign the DD-214, Debts Owed, Criminal background request and Authorization to release information)
When an applicant’s name nears the top of the waiting list, the housing authority contacts them by mail and/or telephone. If there is no response to the contact, or the applicant does not accept a unit or a voucher when it is offered, or the applicant does not appear at the mandatory briefing, the applicant’s name is removed from the waiting list, and that person will need to re-apply if assistance is desired at a later time.