NEWS DETAILS

How Does The Housing Choice Voucher Program Work?

August 1, 2022

In the Housing Choice program, participants find suitable housing offered by a private owner/landlord using a voucher issued by MHA. Any housing selected must pass a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection.

  • Families who are newly admitted to the program or move to a new unit, cannot pay more than 50 percent of their income towards rent and utilities at the time of move in.
  • The subsidy is calculated by using the lower of the Voucher Payment standard the gross rent minus total tenant payment.
  • All voucher units must meet a rent reasonableness test, i.e, the rent cannot be higher than similar unassisted units in the area.

This test is performed on each unit at initial lease-up and when an owner/landlord request a rent increase. For further information on the Housing Choice Voucher program, please contact the Management Office at 309 -764-1819