Housing Works awarded 40 new rental-assistance vouchers

Housing Works, the regional housing authority for Central Oregon, announced Wednesday that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded 40 additional “mainstream” vouchers, which provide rental assistance for non-elderly persons with disabilities and their families.

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley on Tuesday announced more than $2.7 million being distributed to Oregon agencies through the Mainstream Voucher Program, a sub-set of the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The vouchers will assist non-elderly persons, aged 18 to 61, who are disabled.

HUD awarded $98.5 million to 285 local public housing authorities across the country to help house an additional 11,931 non-elderly disabled households who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, at serious risk of institutionalization, or transitioning out of institutional or other segregated settings.

Housing Works’ Executive Director David Brandt said, “We are thrilled to have been awarded these additional vouchers through the competitive NOFA process. Our goal is to get these new vouchers into the hands of eligible households within the 2019 calendar year.”

Prior to this award, Housing Works managed 1,203 vouchers through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program. Through these programs, Housing Works was able to house over 2,600 individuals in 2017 in rental units on the private market. Housing Works paid out $7.6 million in Housing Assistance Payments to over 505 landlords last year.

The 40 new Mainstream Vouchers have an annual dollar value of $273,812. Applications for the new vouchers will be taken in January with Housing Works’ annual waiting list opening. Visit www.housing-works.org/vouchers for more information.

Housing Works is the largest affordable housing provider in Central Oregon. It provides people with quality, safe and affordable homes; and through a number of collaborations, it provides the resources to help people stabilize their lives. Housing Works developments in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras and Sisters have won awards for innovation, economic impact, design, and beautification. For more information, visit www.housing-works.org.