SEATTLE—May 3, 2006—Working with the City of Seattle's Office of Housing, and with nonprofit housing developers and service agencies across the city, Seattle Housing Authority has recently made 455 rental vouchers available for distribution to the low-income clients of these nonprofits.
"We made these vouchers available through two special programs that help to extend our reach into the low-income community," commented Lisa Cipollone, SHA's director of housing advocacy and rental assistance. "They also help us to meet the goals of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County."
Working with the City of Seattle's Office of Housing, 209 vouchers were awarded through a jointly-administered proposal process to 12 Seattle nonprofit housing developers.
These "project-based" vouchers are assigned to units within buildings owned and managed by the nonprofits. The tenants residing in these units pay 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities, and the nonprofit agrees to rent according to these guidelines. These tenants receive the rental assistance as long as they live in that unit and continue to qualify for the program.
"The Project-based Voucher Program is an example of our commitment to being a full partner at the table with the nonprofit housing developers," said Cipollone.
SHA has designated more than 1,600 vouchers for the project-based program. There are currently 1,250 of these vouchers in use, and that number will increase to nearly 1,500 with the recent awards:
Agency |
Building |
Vouchers Awarded |
|
Plymouth Housing Group |
Gatewood Hotel |
15 |
|
Plymouth Housing Group |
Pacific Hotel |
15 |
|
Four Freedoms House |
Four Freedoms |
25 |
|
Low Income Housing Institute |
Lakeview |
6 |
|
Low Income Housing Institute |
Julie |
4 |
|
Capitol Hill Housing Improvement Program |
Oleta Apartments |
4 |
|
Capitol Hill Housing Improvement Program |
Lincoln Court Apartments |
4 |
|
AIDS Housing of Washington |
The Lyon Building |
12 |
|
YWCA |
YWCA Women’s Residence |
30 |
|
Archdiocesan Housing Authority |
Josephinium Apartments |
15 |
|
Plymouth Housing Group |
Colwell Building |
30 |
|
Hilltop House |
Hilltop House |
30 |
|
Plymouth Housing Group |
Haddon Hall |
19 |
Unlike project-based vouchers, agency vouchers are awarded to low-income residents who retain the rights to take the voucher with them if they choose to move. They differ from other tenant-based vouchers only in that they are assigned through a nonprofit service agency rather than through the Housing Authority.
The goal of the program is to increase the success of disabled individuals and families with language or cultural barriers in finding and maintaining housing with a voucher.
According to Cipollone, "Often, the nonprofit agencies who work with these populations are better equipped to help them through the application and leasing process than we are."
SHA provides training in how to administer the vouchers and requires that each agency maintain a waiting list for their vouchers. SHA awarded 246 new vouchers in April, and is currently in the process of signing contracts with the nonprofits. Most of the new vouchers will be assigned to families who will then lease their new housing by July.
With the recent awards, there will be a total of 890 agency vouchers in use.