Housing Choice Vouchers
West Valley Housing Authority, under contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), administers the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV), a rental assistance program for the jurisdiction of Polk County outside the Urban Growth Boundary of the City of Salem. The HCV Program, also known as Section 8, allows very-low and extremely-low income eligible families the ability to rent apartments, duplexes, manufactured and single family homes from private landlords with a rental subsidy administered by West Valley Housing Authority (WVHA).
How does the program work for participants?
WVHA’s HCV program consists of 700 Vouchers, which dependent on funding availability, are issued to eligible households. The household locates a rental unit within the jurisdiction of WVHA and seeks approval from the landlord to rent the unit. Upon approval, the household and landlord complete documents that the household is responsible to return to WVHA for processing. WVHA will process the documents to determine that the rent being sought is reasonable with other similar units within our jurisdiction and that the rent does not exceed the maximum rent burden limit for the household. Upon complete of this determination, WVHA will make arrangements to inspect the unit to ensure that it meets HUD’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS). Once the unit has been and passes an inspection, the landlord and household will be notified. The household then meets with the landlord to complete their leasing process and WVHA is notified of the move-in date. WVHA then completes a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract, which is sent to the landlord to be signed and returned along with a copy of their rental/lease agreement that has been completed with the household. Upon receipt of the completed HAP and lease packet, WVHA endorses the HAP, mails a copy back to the landlord and household for their records, then releases payment.
How does the program work for landlords?
Renting to households with HCV rental assistance is a great option for many landlords. When an eligible household, who has been issued a Voucher from WVHA, applies to rent a unit that you have advertised as available, as the landlord, it is your responsibility to screen the household for suitability, just as you would any applicant. Upon approval, the household will present you with a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packet that the two of you must complete and then submit to WVHA for processing. Upon receipt, WVHA staff will process the RFTA to determine that the rent fits within HUD guidelines to ensure the household portion does not exceed their maximum limit allowed and that the rent is reasonable as compared to other similar units within the local jurisdiction. Upon meeting these two factors, WVHA staff will contact you, the landlord, to make arrangements to inspect the unit. The HQS inspection is required by HUD to determine the unit and its surroundings are safe, sanitary and in good repair and is completed at no charge to you. Upon completion of the inspection, WVHA staff will notify you that the unit has either passed or failed. If the unit has failed, you will be provided an accounting of the item(s) needing repair. Once repairs are completed, it is your responsibility to notify WVHA so the unit may be reinspected. Upon a passed inspection, WVHA will then need to be notified of the move-in date for the household. WVHA staff will then complete and send to you a HAP contract, which is to be signed, dated and returned to the Housing Authority office along with a copy of your rental/lease agreement that you and the household have completed. Your rental/lease agreement terms must match the HAP contract terms, including effective start and end dates, rent amount, and utility payment responsibilities. Upon receipt of these documents, WVHA to be endorsed. WVHA staff will then mail you back a copy of the endorsed HAP Contract, and release the rental assistance payment electronically directly to any account you have designated.
Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS)
WVHA’s FSS Program is a voluntary five-year program for families of either the Section 8 or Public Housing Programs. This program enables families to become financially independent. The main goal of the FSS Program is to help guide families through any educational, job training, and/or financial management plans they may wish to pursue, in an effort to enable them towards a path of financial self-sufficiency. As each household works through their individual plan, they have the ability to establish an escrow account to be used upon their successful program completion to either purchase their own home or to start their own business.
