Housing Choice Voucher Program
Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program provides monthly rental subsidies to low-income working families, senior citizens and the disabled. The Melvindale Housing Commission (MHC) administers a Section 8 program in the Wayne County area, helping households bridge the gap between what they can afford to spend on housing and the fair market rent of an apartment, townhouse or single-family home. Please be aware that the Melvindale Housing Commission is one of several local agencies that administer a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. Each agency is independently administered.
THE MHC IS NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW APPLICANTS TO OUR SECTION 8 PROGRAM
We are serving households who applied to our Section 8 Program in 2009.
INFORMATION FOR SECTION 8 APPLICANTS WHO APPLIED IN 2009:
A computerized random lottery was completed and over 4,000 households were added to the MHC’s Section 8 waiting list. Initially all applicants should have received a letter via U.S. Mail indicating the status of their application. To check your status on the wait list call the MHC office at (313) 429-1095. NOTE: It is each applicant’s responsibility to notify the MHC of any change of address—applicants are informed by U.S. Mail when their name reaches the top of the waiting list. Information can be updated online via a secure Application Update Form. To update your address by U.S. Mail, please mail or fax to MHC. Click the EMAIL button email us your change of address. To learn about the process for obtaining and using your Housing Choice Voucher once your name reaches the top of the waiting list.
Property Owner Responsibilities
(Property Owner's Resource Guide)
Rental property owners who participate in the MHC’s Section 8 program must: ◾Screen and select tenants.
◾Provide a lease that conforms to all state and local laws as well as to the Section 8 program’s HAP contract. ◾Maintain the rental unit in compliance with HUD Housing Quality Standards. ◾Collect the tenant’s portion of the rent. The MHC pays the subsidized portion of the monthly rent directly to the owner—generally this is the difference between a predetermined payment standard and 30 percent of the tenant’s adjusted monthly household income.
◾Comply with all requirements of the HAP contract and lease. The terms of a lease cannot be changed without the MHC’s written acknowledgement.
Per federal requirements, property rented to Section 8 tenants is reinspected annually by the MHC.
It is illegal for property owners to discriminate based on prospective tenants’ age, race, sex, religion, disability or national origin. It is also illegal to deny tenancy based on the fact that a household has a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher subsidy.
For more information about
Section 8:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Melvindale Housing Commission Section 8 Program
Check your waitlist status by contacting (313) 429-1095
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program provides rental subsidies to lower-income families that meet federally established income guidelines. Program participants find their own rental housing and use the vouchers they receive from the Melvindale Housing Commission (MHC) to help pay the rent. Funds for the program are provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). When a family finds a suitable rental unit and the property owner agrees to participate in the Section 8 program, the family submits the following to the MHC:
◾ A Request for Tenancy Packet, signed by the property owner and the family.
◾ A copy of the proposed lease. The lease must include, word for word, all provisions of the Tenancy Addendum required by HUD. After the MHC receives the Request for Tenancy Packet and the proposed lease, our staff inspects the rental unit to ensure that it meets HUD Housing Quality Standards. There is no charge to the property owner or the tenant for this inspection. If the MHC approves the unit and the lease, we will notify the family and the property owner, and we will furnish a HUD Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract to the owner. The owner must sign the HAP contract and return it to the MHC.