C.O. gets first HUD housing vouchers since 2012
For the first time since May of 2012, Housing Works said Tuesday it has been able to issue rental assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Voucher Program.
A federally funded program administered locally by Housing Works, the vouchers mean 65 local households randomly selected from the official waitlist will get much-needed rent support.
The HCV program currently assists a total of 1,600 households in the tri-county area – Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson. The vouchers issued will pay a portion of a family’s rent, based on gross household income.
“Due to federal sequestration, we did not anticipate being able to issue any vouchers in 2013,” said Kenny LaPoint, Housing & Resident Services Director for Housing Works. “We are very happy to be able to help households with this much-needed assistance.”
“It comes at a perfect time. With the cold winter weather upon us, we need to ensure that the most vulnerable in our community are not left to face the harsh Central Oregon elements.”
Housing Works has also announced that it will be opening both its HCV and Non-Elderly Disabled (NED, under 62 years of age and disabled) waitlists in early 2014. Anyone who is currently on one of these waitlists will need to reapply to the 2014 lists.
The waitlist for the Housing Choice Voucher program (formerly known as the HUD Section 8 program) will be open January 13, 2014 at 12:01am through January 17, 2014, 11:59 p.m. This program is open to income qualified residents of Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties.
The one-year waitlist is organized through a computerized lottery. Applicants must apply for the waitlist online at www.oregonhousingworks.org. Upon request, Housing Works staff will provide technical assistance for clients filling out the online application. Pre-applications must be complete for the online waitlist system to accept and process.
The waitlist for the Non-Elderly Disabled program (formerly known as Mainstream) will be open February 10, 2014 at 12:01am through February 14, 2014, 11:59 p.m. This program is open to income qualified residents of Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties who are under 62 years of age and disabled.
The one-year waitlist is organized through a computerized lottery (previously first come, first served). Applicants must apply for the waitlist online at www.oregonhousingworks.org.
Upon request, Housing Works staff will provide technical assistance for clients filling out the online application. Pre-applications must be complete for the online waitlist system to accept and process.
Housing Works is the leading affordable housing provider in Central Oregon, serving Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties. Since 1977, Housing Works has helped provide housing services to thousands of low-income families as they work to move above the poverty line. Housing Works fulfills its mission, “Fostering Dignity through Housing,” through a variety of housing programs and affiliated Families Forward, HomeQuest and Family Self-Sufficiency programs. Currently, Housing Works serves approximately 1,600 households through affordable housing partnerships, grant funding and federal contracts.
