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419-259-9400 HCVP 419-246-3183
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Housing Choice Voucher Program

The Housing Choice Voucher Program Customer Service phone number is 419-246-3183. Please use this number when calling the Housing Choice Voucher Department. 

Lucas Metropolitan Housing (LMH) administers the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The program is commonly called Section 8. This federally-funded rental program allows families to choose their home in the private housing market. Families who are determined eligible are issued a housing choice voucher. Although the agency can provide help with the family's housing search, the family is ultimately responsible for locating a suitable home.

A housing subsidy (a determined portion of the rent) is paid to the landlord directly by LMH on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized (paid) by the HCV program.

LMH may potentially assist up to 4,685 families with rental assistance through the HCV program.

Assistance in the HCV program is tied to the family, not the home, and allows the family to lease any home that meets the program requirements, including units outside Lucas Metropolitan Housing jurisdiction through an option called portability.

Participants are selected from the HCV waiting list and pay no more than 40% of their adjusted income towards rent, whereas the landlord receives the difference in the form of a housing assistance payment (HAP) from LMH.

LMH also operates a Homeownership program, which allows families to purchase their own home and subsidize a portion of their mortgage with a housing choice voucher. Families interested in this opportunity should contact our FSS Program.

"Home to Stay" Rental Assistance Program

Are you a Housing Choice Voucher participant facing an eviction due to non-payment of rent? If so, the "Home to Stay" program may be able to assist you!

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Applicant with a child under the age of 18 or not yet 19, if a full-time student with household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guideline or receiving any of the following services:
    • WIC
    • Medicaid
    • Food Stamps
    • Ohio Works First (OWF) cash assistance
    • Publicly Funded Child Care

For more information please contact, Charlotte Washington, LMHA Housing Stability Case Manager at (419) 254-3499.

 

Voucher Program Information
The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program. Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs).

The PHAs receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program. LMH administers the HCV program in Lucas, Fulton and Wood (excluding the city of Bowling Green) counties in the state of Ohio and Monroe county in the state of Michigan.

A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable home of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program. This unit may include the family's present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by LMH in accordance with HUD's Housing Quality Standards (HQS) guidelines.

A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by LMH on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.

Once LMH approves an eligible family's housing, the family and the landlord sign a lease and, at the same time, the landlord and LMH signs a Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Contract that runs for the same term as the lease. This means that everyone -- tenant, landlord and LMH - has obligations and responsibilities under the voucher program.

Tenant's Obligations
The housing voucher is the family's authorization to search for housing and is issued after the family has been determined eligible and oriented on the HCV program requirements. This applies to new families and existing participating families requesting to move with continued assistance under the HCV program.

When a family selects a home, and LMH approves the housing and lease, the family signs a lease with the landlord for at least 1 year but no more than 2 years. The tenant may be required to pay a security deposit to the landlord. After the first year, the landlord may automatically renew the lease for no more than 1 year or allow the family to remain in the unit on a month-to-month lease.

When the family is settled in a new home, the family is expected to comply with the lease and the program requirements, pay their share of rent on time, maintain the unit in good condition and notify LMH of any changes in income or family composition.

Landlord's Obligations
The role of the landlord in the HCV program is to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing to a tenant at a reasonable rent. The dwelling unit must pass the program's HQS and be maintained up to those standards as long as the owner receives housing assistance payments. In addition, the landlord is expected to provide the services agreed to as part of the lease signed with the tenant and the HAP contract signed with LMH.

Housing Authority's Obligations
LMH administers the voucher program locally. LMH provides a family with the housing assistance that enables the family to seek out suitable housing and LMH enters into a HAP contract with the landlord to provide housing assistance payments on behalf of the family. If the landlord fails to meet the owner's obligations under the lease, LMH has the right to terminate assistance payments. LMH must re-examine the family's income and composition at least annually and must inspect each unit at least annually to ensure that it meets minimum HQS.