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VHA offering incentive to landlords

Agency aims to make low-income renters with vouchers more attractive

By Patty Hastings, Columbian Social Services, Demographics, Faith
Published: September 30, 2015, 6:00am

People with Section 8 housing vouchers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure a place to live, leading Vancouver Housing Authority to experiment with an incentive aimed at making low-income households more competitive in the tight housing market.

The agency hopes an extra $100 will entice landlords to lease to new voucher holders.

“Our lease-up rate has decreased significantly from what it was in the past,” said Roy Johnson, executive director.

About 80 percent of people with vouchers are successfully getting into housing; that’s below VHA’s historic success rate of about 95 percent. People are often given extensions, so they have more time to find a place to live.

It can be frustrating, given how long people wait to get those vouchers, only to get turned away, said David Overbay, VHA’s federal program policy manager.

Section 8 in Clark County

Approximately 2,600 Housing Choice Vouchers.

About 680 landlords rent to voucher holders.

nAverage income for voucher holders is $14,408.

“That’s an indication that the market is tight and that landlords aren’t necessarily choosing our people,” Overbay said.

Section 8 tenants contribute about 30 percent of their income toward rent and utilities; the voucher covers the difference.

Vancouver’s low rental vacancy rate of about 2 percent means landlords have choices when a vacancy pops up. Who are they going to choose? Somebody who can afford the rent on their own or somebody who has to use a Section 8 voucher? Accepting Section 8 tenants requires additional paperwork, home inspections and delays in lease start dates.

The $100 is intended to offset those costs and remains in effect so long as the local vacancy rate is below 5 percent. Landlords suggested the idea at an Affordable Housing Task Force meeting. The policy was then approved by VHA’s board of commissioners last week. It’s estimated to cost VHA about $40,000 over the next year.

In Clark County, VHA will give out about 2,600 Section 8 vouchers in 2015 to people who earn an average of $14,408 annually — below the state’s poverty level of $24,008.

By the end of 2015, the agency will have paid out about $17.9 million in Housing Assistance Payments to landlords. For the program, VHA gets a pool of federal money to use for vouchers. As rents rise, the money doesn’t help as many people, Overbay said.

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Columbian Social Services, Demographics, Faith