The St. Cloud HRA has been working in partnership with landlords and families to have market rate rental housing for over 40 years. The Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly Section 8) is the federal government's major program for assisting low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses and apartments. During the application process, the HRA will collect information on family income, assets, and family composition. The HRA 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 housing assistance payment. If the HRA determines you are eligible, they will place your name on a waiting list. Once your name is reached on the waiting list, the HRA will contact you and issue to you a housing voucher. Households currently being reached applied in November 2005.
Applications may be filled out online at www.stcloudhra.com or at the HRA office, 1225 West Saint Germain Street, St. Cloud, Minnesota.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV) is a federally funded HUD program. The program provides financial assistance to eligible participants to rent affordable units in the private sector. These units include apartments, duplexes, townhomes, single family homes and modular homes. Voucher holders find privately owned rental units that are located in Benton County, Sherburne County, Wright County or the St. Cloud City limits that meet program standards related to cost and quaility. The HRA then makes direct payment of the rental property to the landlord to bridge the gap between 30% of the tenant's income and the actual rent The program is open to low-income individuals without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender or status regarding public assistance. St. Cloud HRA pays the rent subsidy directly to the property owner with funds provided by HUD. On an average, each participant remains on the program for two to seven years.
In 2008 an average of 822 households received rental assistance on a monthly basis with an average payment of $408.00 per household. The waiting list is approximately over 3 years long at this time with around 2,244 households on the list waiting for assistance.
Services for NON-ENGLISH Speaking Applicants and Participants: The St. Cloud HRA will accommodate people who speak languages other than English through the use of interpreters. The HRA must be given proper notice in order to accommodate this request in a timely manner.
"A person with a disability may request reasonable accommodation at any time during the application process, participation in a program and/or during the grievance procedures."
For further information on rental housing and/or housing go to http://www.housinglink.org. This link can be of assistance to property owners accepting Section 8 as well as those interested in accepting Section 8. It is also a great source of information for anyone looking for assistance or for service providers who are working with clients in finding them help. It provides links and information to further community services sites and explains how they may be of assistance to individuals and families.
