Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)
The Housing Choice Voucher Program offers affordable, decent and safe housing in open market rentals selected by Voucher holders. Under the Moving to Work program, you receive a fixed subsidy, which the Housing Authority pays directly to the landlord, and you pay the rest of the rent for your unit. There is a five year time limit to this type of rental assistance in most cases, because the fixed subsidy helps families to stabilize their housing costs as they work to achieve self-sufficiency and save for other housing opportunities.
Elderly families, whose head or co-tenant is over 62 or disabled or handicapped that do not possess the capabilities to work, will have their rent based on their income rather than the fixed subsidy amounts, however time limits do not apply to these households.
The Housing Authority does not own Housing Choice Voucher housing. You choose your own house or apartment anywhere in Tulare County, as long as it meets certain guidelines. Renting from relatives is not allowed unless required by a specific medical necessity.
You may apply for the Housing Choice Voucher Program through our Online Application in the left sidebar, and there is only one countywide waiting list. Funding for the Housing Choice Voucher Program is provided to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis, and people who live or work in Tulare County will be assisted before non-county residents. In the event that HATC’s leasing rate falls below 97%, preference will be given to an applicant who is able to ‘lease-in place’. Preference will continue to be weighted until lease up rate reaches 97%. Once target lease up rate is obtained, preference will continue to be documented as part of the application intake process, however, it will not be weighted until such time that lease up rate falls below 97% at any other given time.
To qualify for the ‘lease-in place’ preference the applicant must already have an open application and submit the necessary verifications to obtain such preference. Acceptable verification will consist of an executed lease agreement with current lease term. Applicant must have resided in the unit for a minimum of three months and must be current on their rent payment (i.e. must not be past due on rent/owe landlord monies). Also, current landlord will need to complete and return the ‘Landlord Participation’ verification form (available for download here).
While on the waiting list, you may be contacted by mail to see if you are still interested. The Housing Authority will ask you to confirm your address, family size and income.
When your name reaches the top of the list and funding is available, the Housing Authority will invite you to the nearest office to verify the information you provided, including citizenship or eligible alien status. When everything has been verified, you will come to another meeting to learn how to choose a qualified rental unit. Persons who have been convicted of manufacturing or selling methamphetamines or are registered sex offenders are not eligible.
You may choose to stay in your current home or move to another place, as long as it's within program regulations. If the landlord will accept the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the unit is inspected. As soon as it passes inspection, you may move in and rental assistance will begin. You will need to stay in the unit you have picked for at least one year.
As a resident of the Housing Choice Voucher Program, you must always report changes in family size right away. The Housing Authority will inspect your home and re-verify your income once a year. When your year is up, you may renew or move into another unit, as long as you are still eligible and you do not owe the Housing Authority any money.
Applications are only taken online.
Please refer to the link in
the applications section at the top of the sidebar on this page.below.
INCOME LIMITS | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number in Family | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Income | 30,800 | 35,200 | 39,600 | 43,950 | 47,500 |
Number in Family | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10+ |
Income | 51,000 | 54,500 | 58,050 | 61,550 | Call |
PAYMENT STANDARDS | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of Bedrooms | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Payment Standard | 1,270 | 1,286 | 1,689 | 2,352 | 2,478 | 2,850 |