Laconia Housing Authority opens wait list for rent subsidies for first time since 2008

LACONIA — On April 1, the Laconia Housing Authority (LHA) will open its waiting list for rent subsidies, which has been closed since October, 2008, offering assistance to qualified families in need of housing and boosting demand in a rental market marked by high vacancies.

Michelle Albert, who manages the Housing Choice Voucher — best known as "Section 8" — program at the LHA, said that the waiting list topped 400 when it was closed, but since then the agency has housed between 10 and 20 families a month, trimming the list to less than 80.

The agency administers 407 vouchers, which are funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, with annual budget of approximately $2.5-million. Finance Director Rita Britton said that funding for the program depends on the congressional appropriation. Since 2008, she said, funding has ranged from 80-percent to 94-percent of the full appropriation of $2.6-million. "We never get the 100-percent," she said.

The program provides payments to assist qualified families to rent in the private market. By law the LHA must provide three-quarters of its vouchers to families whose incomes do not exceed 30-percent of the median for the area, though families earning up to half the median may qualify for assistance. Qualified families normally pay no more than 30-percent of their adjusted gross income for rent and utilities with the subsidy payment representing the difference between the gross rent for the unit and 30-percent of the family's monthly income.

Once a family chooses and the LHA approves a unit, the tenant and landlord enter a lease for at least one year and the landlord and the LHA enter a contract, ensuring assistance payments for the term of the lease.

Albert said that the 15 local landlords who participate in the program work closely and cooperatively with the LHA. "If necessary we will negotiate with landlords" she said. "They are willing to adjust their rents to meet the limit of 30-percent of adjusted income."

Dave Gilbert of Gilbert Apartments welcomed the reopening of the waiting list. "It's a good thing, a good stimulator," he said. He noted that although vacancies, which had been as high as 10-percent, have fallen closer to 7-percent, restarting the voucher program would provide needed demand for rental units. In particular, Gilbert said that the leasing requirement assures "longevity, which is a good thing. The longer you get people in the better." Noting that he enjoyed a sound working relationship with the LHA, he said "they are one of my customers and you've got to look after your customers."