About the Program
The HCV program is a national initiative of the federal government and its purpose is to help very-low income households afford private market rental housing that is decent, safe and sanitary. Rent subsidies are provided to eligible families who receive a housing voucher. A family includes elderly, disabled and single person households. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides funding to Public Housing Agencies (PHA’s) throughout the country to administer the HCV program in a specific locality and the Greensboro Housing Authority (GHA) administers the program in Guilford County, North Carolina with the exception of the City of High Point.
GHA receives funding from HUD to provide housing vouchers to a fixed number of eligible very-low income households and interested individuals are required to apply to the GHA waiting list from which names are selected to receive a housing voucher when one becomes available. Families can rent/own housing of their choice in communities of their choice and it is permanent, long term and affordable. Families typically pay between 30% and 40% of their adjusted annual income towards housing costs. Vouchers can be used for rental assistance in tenant-based and project-based programs and also for homeownership assistance. HUD publishes Fair Market Rents (FMR) each year for “modest” rental housing by locality. FMR is established for each bedroom size and each PHA establishes a voucher “payment standard” which is between 90% and 110% of the FMR. The HCV monthly subsidy is the difference between 30% of the household’s monthly adjusted income and the applicable payment standard.
The program functions as follows:
-
Families must apply to the waiting list
-
GHA selects from the waiting list and determines eligibility
-
GHA issues a housing choice voucher and the family searches for housing
-
Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection is conducted
-
GHA determines whether the rent to owner is reasonable
-
Landlord lease and Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract executed
-
Housing Authority Role
Family Responsibilities
- The family must supply any information that the Greensboro Housing Authority or HUD determines is necessary in the administration of the program, including submission of required evidence of citizenship or eligible immigration status. Information includes any requested certification, release or other documentation.
- The family must disclose and verify Social Security Numbers and must sign and submit consent forms for obtaining information and all information supplied by the family must be true and complete.
- The family must use the assisted unit for a residence by the family. The unit must be the family’s only residence.
- The Greensboro Housing Authority must approve the composition of the assisted family residing in the unit and the members of the family must not commit fraud, bribery, or any other corrupt or criminal act in connection with the program.
- The members of the family may not engage in drug-related criminal activity or other violent criminal activity.
- The family must pay the family’s share of the rent directly to the landlord each month according to the terms of the lease and must pay for any utilities not included with the rent. Except for normal wear and tear, the family must not damage the dwelling unit and must also abide by the lease in all other respects. The landlord may evict for unpaid rent and/or failure to comply with the lease. GHA may terminate the family from the HCV program for providing false information and/or for failure to comply with program rules and regulations.
Portability - If you are a current participant in Greensboro Housing Authority’s (GHA) Housing Choice Voucher program, you may transfer your assistance outside of GHA’s jurisdiction as long as there is another agency operating a voucher program covering the location to which you are moving. When you request portability, we will brief you on the process and advise you how to contact and request assistance from the other agency. We will notify the agency of your intention and mail or fax the required portability documentation. Your bedroom size and payment standard will be determined by the receiving agency.
If you have a Housing Choice Voucher and would like to move to Greensboro, your first step is to inform your current housing authority that you would like to relocate to our jurisdiction. When you or your housing authority contacts GHA regarding your move, we will inform your housing authority if we will bill for the assistance paid on your behalf or if you will be absorbed into our voucher program. At present, the Greensboro Housing Authority (GHA) is NOT absorbing incoming portable families; your housing authority will be billed for any assistance paid on your behalf. This means that although you will be residing in our jurisdiction, your current housing authority will still be responsible for your subsidy payments.
Portability documentation should be sent to the attention of:
Lacey Linton
Greensboro Housing Authority
1300 Ogden Street, Suite B
Greensboro NC 27406
Portability@gha-nc.org
Once the portability documentation has been received, you should email or call to be scheduled for a portability briefing where you will be issued a voucher. Portability briefings are held several times each month and families are scheduled on a first-come first-served basis. Email Portability@gha-nc.org to schedule your appointment. If you do not have email access, you may call at 336.303.3078 or fax at 336.271.5905. You must provide original documents with you; faxed copies will not be accepted. All household members 18 of age and older must attend the briefing to sign the necessary documents.
The following documents are required at the briefing appointment:
BANK STATEMENTS
BIRTH CERTIFICATES (for all family members)
SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS (for all family members)
PICTURE IDENTIFICATION (for members 18 and older)
PROOF OF INCOME RECEIVED BY ALL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS, SUCH AS - Wages, Child Support, Social Security, Unemployment, Pension, etc.
GHA will determine your family bedroom size based on our subsidy standards and rent limit will be based on our payment standards. Your maximum rent limit will be determined at the time of your briefing appointment and rent limits are based on family income.
GHA’s current payment standards are as follows:
-
0 Bedroom $1072
-
1 Bedroom $1104
-
2 Bedroom $1247
-
3 Bedroom $1607
-
4 Bedroom $1802
-
5 Bedroom $2073
Once all documents are provided, GHA will calculate your income and issue you a voucher. You may then begin your search for housing and submit a Request for Tenancy Approval during the term of the voucher issued by GHA. Your voucher in Greensboro will expire at the same time as the voucher issued by your original housing authority. GHA will grant voucher extensions with permission from your original housing authority.
Lease and Contract Execution
The family and the owner must sign a lease with for an initial twelve-month period and the owner must attach the HUD Tenancy Addendum to the lease. GHA does not sign the lease. The family may also be required to pay a security deposit directly to the owner and GHA does not subsidize the security deposit. The owner is responsible for collecting the security deposit and the family’s share of the rent directly from the family. The owner and GHA must sign the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract no later than 60 days after the commencement date of the lease and other documents necessary to initiate the payment. GHA will pay the rent subsidy directly to the owner.
Housing Authority Role
GHA must make initial determinations of eligibility of all families and must re-determine family income and family composition annually in order to calculate family rent to the owner. GHA must also inspect all subsidized rental units in its voucher program each year to ensure that they still meet HQS. GHA is responsible for making rent payments to property owners and ensuring that owners and tenants abide by the rules of the program.
