Program Information

Need help finding housing? Our waiting list is currently closed. However, please use the below links to find other local resources, including low-income housing properties and social services organizations.

• Rental Communities
• Low Income Housing and Apartments
• Homeless Services & Resource Guide

Housing Choice Voucher Program Appointments and Paperwork Schedule:

• Monday-Friday: Participants will be seen by appointment only.
• Monday-Friday: Paperwork may be turned in at the drop box outside of the building or in the drop box located in the lobby.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is designed to help low-income persons afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing. The Housing Authority will notify applicants when their name nears the top of the waiting list. When a voucher becomes available, applicants will be scheduled for the enrollment interview with an Occupancy Specialist who will review household income to determine the portion, if any, that an applicant may have to contribute monthly for rent and utilities. Eligible persons are issued a voucher which gives them 60 days to locate a suitable housing. Once a suitable housing is located, the head of household submits a Request for Tenancy Approval. The Housing Authority will review the request and inspect the unit to ensure that the unit meets HUD Housing Quality Standards (decent, safe and sanitary) and meets rent reasonableness. When the unit and tenancy are approved by the Housing Authority, contracts are executed between the tenant and Housing Authority. The Housing Authority will also execute Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contracts directly with the owner. At that time, the tenant is given authorization to move into the unit.

The Housing Authority does not own property for the use of the Housing Voucher Program. Participants are not limited to specific areas. Types of housing that may be leased through the Housing Choice Voucher Program are single-family, duplex, triplex, fourplex, garden apartments, townhouses, high-rises, manufactured homes where the tenant leases the mobile home and the pad, and manufactured homes where the tenant owns the mobile home and leases the pad. A participant is not allowed to rent a unit under the program from a family member. Family members under this rule include parents, children, sisters, brothers, grandparents, and grandchildren. Shared housing as currently approved in federal regulations will be eligible if required as an accommodation for an individual with a disability. Types of shared housing include single room occupancy, shared housing, congregate housing, cooperative housing or group home.

The applicant’s present dwelling unit may qualify if the unit meets the Housing Choice Voucher Program Housing Quality Standards and the landlord is willing to participate in the program. A voucher holder may request to move anywhere in the United States where the Housing Choice Voucher Program is administered. Under certain circumstances, the transfer can be denied by the Housing Authority if budget conditions do not allow for a participant to move to a higher-cost area.

Household Income Eligibility

According to HUD regulations, an applicant must be within the established income requirements in order to be eligible for assistance under the program.

Housing Assistance Payments

Once a Housing Assistance Payments contract is executed between the Housing Authority and the landlord and a copy of the executed lease is provided to the Housing Authority, the Housing Authority will make monthly Housing Assistance Payments directly to the landlord on behalf of the participant. Since tenant rent is determined by household income, participants' portion of the rent varies for each household. The landlord will be advised of the portion of the rent to be paid monthly by the tenant and the portion to be paid by the Housing Authority. The payment breakdown can change during the tenancy if there are changes in the tenant's household income or composition. When this happens, the Housing Authority notifies the tenant and the landlord of the change in payments and the effective date for the change. Because the Housing Authority issues rent checks monthly, there may be a delay in receiving the first month's Housing Assistance Payment from the Housing Authority for mid-month move-ins.

 Landlord Information

If you are interested in posting your available unit on our units listing for rent under our Housing Choice Voucher Program, please send a completed W9 IRS form, along with an email address, to RobertsH@charlescountymd.gov and we will provide you with information to access Assistance Connect, our on-line housing portal. Once on Assistance Connect, you can post your unit details and it will be viewed by our program participants who are searching for units.

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