|
SECTION 8 HOUSING
STAFF DIRECTORY
Felicia Moore
Program Manager
(251) 456-3324 ext. 201
fmoore@prichardhousing.com
Nanette Johnson
Program Specialist
(251) 456-3324 ext. 212
njohnson@prichardhousing.com
Margulene Holcombe
Occupancy Specialist Supervisor
(251) 456-3324 ext. 237
mholcombe@prichardhousing.com
Synetta Pettway
Occupancy Specialist Supervisor
(251) 456-3342 ext. 233
spettway@prichardhousing.com
Milton Taylor
Inspection Supervisor
(251) 456-3324 ext. 204
mtaylor@prichardhousing.com
|
Occupancy
Specialists
|
Marguerite
Austin
ext. 226 |
Anitra
Pugh
ext. 209 |
Mazadeline
Taylor
ext. 235 |
|
Beverly
Foster
ext. 210 |
Valaria
Roberts
ext. 231 |
Chelette
Webster
ext. 230 |
|
Monica
Johnson
ext. 229 |
Stephanie
Ross
ext. 232 |
Leslie
West
ext. 234 |
|
Regina
Mitchell
ext. 208 |
Jane
Stallworth
ext. 205 |
Patricia
Wilson
ext. 238 |
|
Asha
Portis
ext. 207 |
Janet
Swopes
ext. 222 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Section 8 Housing Program is a three way
partnership between the Housing Authority, the
family, and the owner or landlord of the housing
unit.
The Housing Authority’s Responsibilities
Review all applications to determine whether an
applicant is eligible for the program.
Explain the rules of the programs to all
families who qualify.
Issue a Voucher to the qualifying families, and
if necessary, assist the family in finding a
place to live.
Approve the unit, the owner, and the lease.
Make Housing Assistance Payments to the owner in
a timely manner.
Ensure that both the family and unit continue to
qualify for the program.
Ensure that owner and families comply with the
program rules.
Provide families and owners with prompt and
professional service.
The Family’s Responsibilities
Provide the Housing Authority with complete and
accurate information.
Give your best effort to find a place to live
that is suitable for your family and qualifies
for the program.
Cooperate in attending all appointments
scheduled by the Housing Authority.
Take responsibility for the general care and
housekeeping of your housing unit.
Comply with the terms of your lease with the
owner.
Comply with the Family Obligations on your
Voucher.
The Owner’s Responsibilities
Interview families who apply to determine if
they will be good renters.
Comply with fair housing laws and not
discriminate against any family.
Maintain the housing unit by making the
necessary repairs in a timely manner.
Comply with the terms of the Housing Assistance
Contract with the Housing Authority.
Collect the rent due by the family and otherwise
enforce the lease.
Deciding Where You Want To Live
There are many factors to consider as you search
for suitable housing, so try to select a place
that meets your family’s needs. Here are some
things to keep in mind when you are looking.
Schools
If you have school-age children, you will want
to consider the various school districts that
are available as well as the distance from the
schools to the housing unit.
Safety
When searching for housing, consider a
neighborhood and its surroundings. Try to avoid
high crime areas.
Work
Consider the distance between your workplace and
the location of the housing unit.
Child Care
Consider the availability of child care and the
quality of child care near your housing unit. If
you work, keep in mind the difference between
the housing unit, the child care, and your work
location.
Public Transportation
If you do not have a vehicle, where is the
closest access to public transportation and what
times does the transportation arrive and depart?
Premises and Neighborhood
Is there a safe place for children to play
outside?
Is the housing unit in a high crime area?
What is the general condition of the
neighborhood and surrounding areas?
Are you close to medical services? Fire
Department nearby?
Is there adequate parking for you and your
guests?
Is the area/ building well-lit at night?
How the Housing Authority Determines Your Unit
Size
HUD requires that the Housing Authority
establish subsidy standards. These
standards are used to determine the appropriate
number of bedrooms for families of different
sizes and different compositions. The subsidy
standards take into consideration factors such
as the total number of persons in the family,
the age and sex of the persons, and the
relationships of the persons.
These standards help us make the best use of the
funds HUD provides for housing costs, and to
avoid overcrowding. The unit size for which you
have been approved for is indicated on your
Voucher.
Listed are just some of the factors that help
determine your unit size.
The age of your family members.
The sex of your family members.
The number of family members.
The relationships between family members.
Most Common Program Violations
Most families who are selected for the program
comply with the rules, but occasionally some do
not. It is always unpleasant when someone
violates the rules and penalties are required.
To prevent families from embarrassment and
hardship, the program rules must be thoroughly
understood by all of the persons involved. The
most common violations are listed below. Please
call our Section 8 staff if you have further
questions.
Unauthorized household members
The persons you listed on your application for
housing assistance are the only persons who may
reside in your housing unit. If you permit
anyone who has not been approved by the Housing
Authority to reside in your unit, it is a
violation of your Family Obligations, and it may
very well result in the loss of your housing
assistance.
Under- reported income
Whenever you are interviewed by the Housing
Authority, you will be asked to report all
income received by everyone in your household.
If a family withholds income, it causes the
Housing Authority to pay more money to the owner
than the law requires. This is a violation of
your Family Obligations. In these cases the
family may be required to repay money. In
addition, it could result in the loss of housing
assistance or, in some cases, criminal
penalties.
Sub- leasing the unit
When the Housing Authority approves your family,
we approve your family only. It is illegal for
any family on the program to lease all or part
of their unit to anyone.
Not reporting changes
At the briefing, the Housing Authority
representative will explain the procedures for
reporting changes in household members, income
etc. Failure to report these changes could
result in repayment of money or loss of housing
assistance.
Not providing information or documents
When the Housing Authority requests that you
furnish additional documentation, it is because
it is a program requirement. If you do not
furnish these necessary documents, your
application will not be verified and you will be
ineligible for the program. This also applies
every time you are due for recertification.
|
Q. |
What are the requirements for my unit to
be rented to an assisted family?
|
|
|
|
|
A. |
The unit must meet HUD Housing Quality
Standards and the rent must fall within
HUD Fair Market Rents and market rate
comparable. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
How do I make a unit available to
voucher holders? |
|
|
|
|
A. |
Contact our office at 251-456-3324 to
have the unit posted on our list of
available units. You may also advertise
in the newspaper with the phrase "will
accept Section 8." Our families look for
those listings. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
Who pays the rent?
|
|
|
|
|
A. |
The tenant pays 30% of his/her monthly
income, less utilities, toward the rent.
You collect the tenant's portion of the
rent from the tenant. PHA pays the
assistance (difference between the
tenant rent and the contracted rent
amount) directly to you. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
Can I collect a security deposit?
|
|
|
|
|
A. |
Yes. The Housing Authority prohibits
security deposits in excess of private
practice, or in excess of amounts
charged by the owner to unassisted
tenants. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
What is the term of the lease and
contract? |
|
|
|
|
A. |
After one year, the lease is renewed for
a specified time period (e.g.,
month-to-month, six months, etc.). The
tenant may vacate with a notice after
the term of the lease expires. If the
tenant remains in the unit, the tenant
is recertified for eligibility and the
unit is inspected for Housing Quality
Standards annually, at which time the
landlord may request an annual
adjustment rent increase which must be
approved by the Housing Authority. This
request must be submitted in writing to
the Housing Authority and tenant 60 days
prior to renewal. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
What do I do when a voucher holder is
interested in my unit?
|
|
|
|
|
A. |
Landlord screens tenants - You must
screen the prospective tenant carefully
to insure you are making a good
selection. When one of our families
contacts you, we can only certify to you
their income eligibility for the
program. We cannot provide a reference
as to their expected behavior as
tenants. You may use any or all of the
following screening procedures: Credit
Check, Landlord References, Criminal
Check, Home Visits. We encourage all of
the above screening methods as long as
you do not discriminate. Discrimination
includes any tenant selection based on
race, color, religion, ancestry, sex,
country of birth, handicap, or familial
status. The prohibition against
discrimination based on familial status
makes it illegal, in most circumstances,
to refuse to allow children to live in a
residential unit.
Request for Tenancy Approval - When you
have selected a tenant, he/she will have
a "Request for Tenancy Approval" form
for you to complete. When the tenant
submits the form to our office, with a
copy of your proposed lease, an
inspection clerk will contact you to
schedule an inspection.
Inspection and rent - The unit will be
inspected to insure that it meets HUD
Housing Quality Standards. You will also
be mailed a copy of the inspection
repair list, if applicable.
Lease and contract - After the unit
passes inspection and the rent has been
approved, the landlord and tenant enter
into a lease. The Housing Authority and
the landlord sign a Housing Assistance
Payments (HAP) Contract, through which
the rent is assisted on behalf of the
tenant. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
What are my rights and responsibilities
as a landlord? |
|
|
|
|
A. |
Maintain your property in good
condition. Complete repairs within a
reasonable amount of time, 24 hours for
emergencies, upon request by the Housing
Authority or tenant. The amount of time
that is considered reasonable depends on
the nature of the problem. Set
reasonable rules about use of a unit and
common areas. Do not enter a unit
without tenant's permission and proper
notice, except for emergencies or tenant
requested repairs. Collect appropriate
security deposit as directed under the
program and use it only as directed by
state laws. Comply with equal
opportunity requirements. Enforce tenant
obligations under the lease. Expect your
tenant to: pay rent on time, keep unit
clean, avoid illegal activity, permit
access for repairs, avoid damage to
property, refrain from disturbing
others, allow only those occupants on
the lease to reside in the unit. Comply
with terms and conditions of lease and
HAP Contract. Take action through
Magistrate's Court to evict when tenant
violates the lease. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
How can I contact PHA for reinspections? |
|
|
|
|
A. |
You can call us at (251) 456-3324, Ext.
224, or fax us at (251) 452-6149. |
|
Q. |
What is Section 8? |
|
|
|
|
A. |
The Section 8 program
provides assistance for low
income families in the
private rental market
through the Housing
Assistance Payments Program.
Housing choice voucher
holders select a unit from
the private rental market.
Rental assistance makes
market rate housing
affordable. Program
participants normally pay no
more than 30% of monthly
adjusted income towards rent
and utilities. The Housing
Assistance Program
subsidizes the balance of
the rent to the property
owner. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
How can I become a part of
this Rental Assistance
Program? |
|
|
|
|
A. |
Eligibility for a rental
voucher is determined by the
local Housing Authority
based on the total annual
gross income and family size
and is limited to U.S.
citizens and specified
categories of noncitizens
who have eligible
immigration status. In
general, the family's income
may not exceed 50% of the
median income for the county
or metropolitan area in
which the family chooses to
live. Median income levels
are published by HUD and
vary by location. The HA
serving your community can
provide you with the income
limits for your area and
family size. During the
application process, the
Housing Authority will
verify this information with
other local agencies, your
employer and bank, and will
use the information to
determine program
eligibility and the amount
of the rental assistance
payment.
If the Housing Authority
determines that your family
is eligible, the Housing
Authority will put your name
on a waiting list, unless it
is able to assist you
immediately. Once your name
is reached on the waiting
list, the Housing Authority
will contact you and issue
you a rental voucher. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
Where can I live? |
|
|
|
|
A. |
Once your family has been
issued a Housing Choice
Voucher by the Housing
Authority, you can search
the private rental market in
your community for a housing
unit that is decent, safe,
and sanitary according to
Housing Quality Standards
(HQS) established by HUD and
the local Housing Authority.
When you have found a
suitable unit and the owner
agrees to lease the unit to
your family under the
housing choice voucher
program, the Housing
Authority will inspect the
unit to assure that it is
suitable. After the unit
passes HQS inspection and
the rent has been approved,
the landlord and tenant
enter a lease for an initial
term of one year. The
Housing Authority and the
landlord sign a Housing
Assistance Payments Contract
through which the rent is
assisted on your behalf. You
will be responsible for the
monthly payment of the
difference between the total
rent and the Housing
Assistance Payment. |
|
|
|
|
Q. |
What is the term of the
lease and contract?
|
|
|
|
|
A. |
After one year, the lease is
renewed for a specified time
period (ex., month-to-month,
six months, etc.). You may
vacate with a notice after
the term of the lease
expires. If you remain in
the unit, you are
recertified for eligibility
and the unit is inspected
for Housing Quality
Standards annually, at which
time the landlord may
request an annual adjustment
rent increase which must be
approved by the Housing
Authority. This request must
be submitted in writing to
the Housing Authority and to
you sixty days prior to
renewal. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All units under the Section 8
program must comply with HQS both at
initial occupancy and during the
term of the assisted lease.
Housing Quality Standards are the
minimum standards set by HUD that a
unit must meet to be considered for
acceptability for the Section 8
program. These standards include the
following key aspects of housing
quality:
• Sanitary facilities
• Food preparation and refuse
disposal
• Space and security
• Thermal environment
• Illumination and electricity
• Structure and materials
• Interior air quality
• Water supply
• Lead-based paint
• Access
• Site and neighborhood
• Sanitary condition
• Smoke detectors
Rent Reasonableness - Each unit
inspected will also be certified
that the approved contract rent is
reasonable in relation to rents
charged for comparable units in the
private unassisted market. Factors
taken into account will be:
• Location
• Size
• Type
• Quality
• Amenities
• Facilities
• Management
• Maintenance services
|
|
