Emergency Housing Voucher Program

Central Iowa Regional Housing Authority (CIRHA) has received funding for EMERGENCY HOUSING VOUCHERS (EHV).

• Priority 1 – Literally Homeless
• Priority 2 – Feeling, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking.
• Priority 3 – Recently homeless and for whom providing rental assistance will prevent the family’s homelessness or  having high risk of housing instability.
• Priority 4 – At risk of homelessness.

Individuals and families will NOT come from our current waiting list.  A family must meet one of these four eligibility categories and be referred to CIRHA by the Iowa Balance of State Continuum of Care (CoC) or another partnering agency that makes direct referrals to CIRHA.

If you are in need of emergency assistance through the Emergency Housing Voucher program, you should contact:

• Boone and Story Counties
  • More information to come.
• Dallas and Madison Counties
  • Crisis Intervention and Advocacy Services
• Jasper and Marion Counties
  • Central Iowa Shelter and Services
• Victims Service Provider or Social Services agency in one of the above counties.

You may also contact the CIRHA office at 515-986-1882 for names of Victims Service Providers or Social Service agencies.

A New Program with $1000 Incentives for Participating Landlords

In anticipation of an increase in evictions and homelessness resulting from the pandemic and as a part of the American Recovery Act, our funding agency, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is rolling out a new program called the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV).  CIRHA has been chosen to participate in this program and has been awarded 76 vouchers for our six-county area effective July 1, 2021.

This program targets the following households in this order of preference: 

1. The Homeless;
2. Fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking;
3. Recently homeless and for whom providing rental assistance will prevent the family’s homelessness or having a high risk of housing instability;
4. At-Risk of Homelessness.

Family Incentives:

There will be a variety of incentives to help eligible families become safely housed.  Some incentives will help the families eliminate barriers like utility deposits, security deposits, and search assistance.

Landlord Incentives:

There are several landlord incentives CIRHA can use to compensate landlords for providing safe housing to a family with an EHV.  Here are some examples of the EHV program landlord incentives:

• CIRHA can be more flexible with the lease start and end dates, and the length of the lease.
• Participating landlords will receive a $1000 incentive from the EHV program after each successful placement.

Some additional information:

• The Continuum of Care (CoC) program promotes community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. Agencies under the CoC will be responsible for verifying the eligibility of client families based on the family status as listed above.  The agency then refers eligible families to CIRHA for the EHV program. The agencies will also assist eligible families with their housing search. This is the contact information by county:

Boone and Story – More information to come

Dallas and Madison – Crisis Intervention & Advocacy Services

Jasper and Marion – Central Iowa Shelter and Services

• These families will not be from our waiting list. Families currently on our waiting list can contact CIRHA to be referred to the correct agency to determine their eligibility for this program.
• EHV and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program families will go through the same program eligibility process by CIRHA with the following exception: EHV families will only be screened for conviction of methamphetamine production in Federal Housing and for State Lifetime Sex Offender Registry and will not have the full criminal background check done by CIRHA for the HCV program.
• These families will have a light brown Request for Tenancy (RFTA) paperwork to fill out with their prospective landlord. “EHV” will be noted on the top of the first page.  The color and heading will differentiate it from the pink RFTA used by the HCV program.
• Units leased under this program are fully funded as long as the family remains in good standing with CIRHA and under lease with a landlord.

Most other Federal Regulations and Waivers of the Housing Choice Voucher Program will apply unless otherwise noted.  These include:

• These families must be charged the same rate as unassisted families and the rent must be affordable and reasonable.
• The units must pass CIRHA’s current inspection policies.
• Housing Assistance Payments contracts and other HUD forms will be used.
• Security Deposit amounts must comply with state law.

This is a condensed version of the program and we imagine there will be questions before you may decide if you’d like to participate.  Please direct all inquiries to Julie Baldner at 515-986-1882 extension 102 or jbaldner@cirhahome.org.

Please contact Julie if you are already interested in participating.  If so, your contact information will be shared with the CoC service provider based on the location of your rental units.

 

Emergency Housing Voucher Program  –  Landlord FAQ

1.       What benefits are available to landlords who agree to accept an EHV tenant?

There are a variety of benefits available to participating landlords, including:

• Having a contracted monthly assistance payment deposited directly into an owner’s bank account.
• Reduced likelihood of tenants defaulting on their rent. If the tenant’s income decreased, the landlord’s Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) may increase.
• Minimal paperwork is required to get set up and landlords are allowed to use their own lease and screening process.

Additional information on becoming a landlord for CIRHA’s Housing Choice Voucher program and information about the voucher process can be found on the Landlord tab on CIRHA’s website.

2.     Are EHV tenants screened by the PHA to ensure they are responsible tenants?

No. In accordance with CFR 24§ 983.307, the owner is responsible for screening and selection of the family to occupy the owner’s unit. The PHA is responsible for screening families to determine eligibility for the HCV program.

3.       Can a security deposit be required?

Yes. Landlords are permitted to collect a security deposit.

4.       Who is responsible for ensuring that the tenant pays their required share of the rent?

The tenant is responsible for paying the family’s share of the rent, and the owner is responsible for enforcing the lease if the tenant fails to do so. The landlord must also send any notices issued to the tenant for non-payment or noncompliance to the PHA.

5.       Where can owners advertise units to EHV families?

Voucher holders search for available units in the open market. Owners can consider advertising their units online, including the following websites:

• Iowahousingsearch.org
• GoSection8.com
• Apartments.com
• Craigslist.com
• ForRent.com
• Zillow.com