FAQs
It is a program funded by Congress and the President under the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), and administered by the Montgomery County Housing Authority (MCHA) to provide safe, descent, and affordable housing for residents of Montgomery County. The MCHA assists families by paying a portion of the rent to the landlord and the family pays a portion of the rent to the landlord. Families pay approximately 30 percent of their monthly income as their portion of the rent.
Families with income that is 50 percent or less of the median income for the family size may qualify as very low income families. An eligible family can be a single person household, elderly or disabled, as well as families of two or more.
Preference is given to people who live, work, or have notification of a job in Montgomery County. However, anyone can apply but must meet income guidelines.
No. MCHA will notify you in writing whether or not you have been added to the waiting list. When housing subsidies become available, MCHA will contact applicants for more detailed and current information.
You will receive written notification from MCHA if you have been accepted.
It is impossible to predict how long you will wait because MCHA does not know when housing subsidies will become available.
Typically, tenants pay a minimum of 30% of their gross income for rent and utilities.
As part of the process, MCHA is required to conduct criminal background history checks for all applicants over the age of 18 and require specific paperwork such as: birth certificates, social security cards, utility bills, proof of income, etc. for all applicants.
Any existing rental housing may be eligible: single family homes, condominiums, apartments, townhouses, duplexes, etc. All rental units must conform to Housing Quality Standards (HQS) and meet local code requirements.
It can be located anywhere in Montgomery County.
The rental units are inspected prior to the signing of the HAP contract and at least annually thereafter.
Contact your Contract Control Specialist (caseworker) for specific information concerning moving.
NO. Emergency housing is only by referral through the Montgomery County Office of Housing and Community Development. Upon approval, a person may be referred to MCHA for emergency housing under the Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program (TBRA), a county transitional housing program.
PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAM
It is a program funded by Congress and the President under the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), and managed by the Montgomery County Housing Authority (MCHA). The MCHA has seven developments located throughout Montgomery County. The MCHA is the landlord and rent is paid directly to MCHA. Rent is based on 30% of the family’s income, or at the request of the family, a flat rent that has been determined for individual apartments.
Families with income that is 80% or less of the median income may qualify as low-income families. An eligible family can be an adult single person household, elderly or disabled, as well as families of two or more.
Anyone who meets the income guidelines can apply. Eligible applicants will be added to a centralized waiting list according to the total amount of preference points they possess and then in the order of the date of completed pre-application. Each preference is given one point. The preferences for Public Housing are as follows:
-live, work, or have notification of new employment in Montgomery County
-any adult is employed (any county), head or spouse is elderly or disabled
-current members of the military, veterans or their surviving spouses.
No. An applicant only needs to fill out one pre-application for all developments that they qualify for. If an applicant needs to remain in a certain area due to employment, access to day care, physicians or family support, they can request a hardship.
Applications must be submitted on-line from this website. Click on the applications link.
No. Applications are accepted 24 hours per day, seven days a week until further notice.
You will receive written notification from the MCHA if you have been accepted and are being placed on the “pending” waiting list within 2 – 3 weeks after applying. At that time you will receive authorization forms to complete for all family members 18 years of age or older which must be returned to the MCHA for processing. The MCHA requests that applicants inform the Public Housing Department, in writing, of any changes in family composition, income, address, as well as changes in preference status to ensure that we are able to contact you when necessary.
The on-line application process and acceptance is just the first steps. The household will be subject to eligibility criteria, including a criminal background check for all members of the household 18 years of age or older. It will likely take months or even years for names to rise to the top of the waiting list. It is impossible to give an accurate timeframe when eligibility will occur because the MCHA does not know when rental units will become available.
Yes. Applicants will either be notified that they passed the screening and are being placed on the “eligible” waiting list or that further screening must take place or that they did not pass the screening. Applicants who do not pass the screening will have the ability to request an informal review of the decision.
Information on the pre-application will not be verified until the applicant has been selected for final eligibility. At that time, families will be required to attend an interview and provide documentation such as: birth certificates, proof of citizenship or eligible alien status, social security cards, proof of income, assets, and verification of their preferences.