In an effort to meet the growing demand for affordable housing in Nashville, the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency is seeking Davidson County property owners who may be interested in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. This program provides low-income individuals and families an opportunity to find affordable housing in the private market.
MDHA will host a landlord meeting from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, March 31, 2017 at the Randee Rogers Training Center, 1419 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard. The purpose of the meeting is to explain how the program works and answer questions. Both landlords already enrolled in the program and landlords interested in learning more about the program are encouraged to attend. Currently, there are nearly 1,000 landlords who accept the more than 7,000 vouchers administered by MDHA.
Landlords in attendance will also learn more about a new incentive program MDHA has implemented with the support of Mayor Megan Barry. The goal of the program is to encourage more Davidson County owners/landlords to rent their units to homeless Veterans who have been determined eligible for rental assistance under the MDHA VASH program. Funded by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, participating landlords will be eligible for a $l,000 lease signing bonus and eligibility for payment of unpaid rent or damages after a VASH participant moves from a unit. These incentives apply to any new Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contracts after Feb. 1, 2017.
Through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, low-income individuals and families pay between 30 and 40 percent of their adjusted income, or a minimum of $50 towards their rent and utilities, and MDHA pays the landlord the difference. The program allows property owners to receive fair market value for their units, while providing individuals and families an affordable place to live. In order to qualify, participants must make less than 50 percent of area median income, which equals $24,000 for an individual and $34,250 for a family of four.
