MHA receives 20 additional Housing Choice Vouchers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MHA receives 20 additional Housing Choice Vouchers
MISSOULA, MT (September 08, 2023) – Missoula Housing Authority receives twenty additional Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“These new vouchers are especially welcome because we have not been able to issue any new vouchers for months due to budget constraints,” says Jim McGrath, Director of HUD Programs at MHA. “We are thankful that HUD sees the ongoing need in Missoula.”
The Housing Choice Voucher program provides rental subsidies for very low-income families, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities creating the opportunity to choose their own rental home within the community of their choice. Eligible participants pay 30% of their income toward rent. Participants must meet income thresholds based on Area Median Income, which is calculated by HUD annually and is adjusted based on household size. In Missoula, a single-person household would need to earn $30,250 or below to meet these income requirements for this program.
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328) into law. The 2023 Act appropriated $50 million for new incremental vouchers; the primary type of housing vouchers awarded to Public Housing Authorities (PHA). HUD allocated the additional vouchers using a formula that considered the local incidence of overcrowding and severe housing needs, PHAs’ capacity to utilize additional vouchers expeditiously, and other factors. Missoula Housing Authority is the only agency in the state to receive additional vouchers from the 2023 Act.
The Missoula Housing Authority will apply the twenty new vouchers to the waitlist, which currently has 1816 families and is approximately 3 years long. The additional vouchers increase MHA’s ability to increase assistance from 959 to 979 households in the Missoula area through the Housing Choice Voucher program.
“Twenty vouchers may not seem like much, but they add up,” says McGrath. “MHA has been fortunate to have received several small awards in the last few years that have grown our voucher pool significantly.” Full details and the press release available for download.
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About Missoula Housing Authority (MHA)
Missoula Housing Authority (“MHA”) is an independent nonprofit public organization with a portfolio of 1,178 rent-restricted apartments and 1,215 housing vouchers, providing affordable housing to more than 4,500 very low-, low and middle-income veterans, families with children, elderly and disabled, foster youth and homeless, as well as working Missoulians.
MHA is the second largest public housing authority in Montana and is recognized as a progressive, forward-thinking agency that creatively implements services and uses innovative development financing. Missoula Housing Authority’s mission is to provide quality housing solutions for low and middle-income households in Missoula and the surrounding area through creative partnerships and innovative development. MHA has been creating quality housing solutions since 1978.