ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority is experiencing a setback for thousands of people waiting for Section 8 housing because it said its housing choice voucher program is closed.
About 4,000 people are currently on the waitlist. More than 100 people got off the waitlist. Those 100 people were told they can keep their vouchers but they can’t use them to find housing.
The Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority said it’s not making any selections off the waitlist or issuing new vouchers. The organization said too many people are on the waitlist, and it doesn’t have enough funding from HUD for the housing voucher program. Every year, HUD allocates about $13 million for the program.
The housing choice vouchers allow low-income, elderly or disabled people to look for housing in Roanoke within a 50-mile radius of the housing authority. Usually, the tenant pays about 30 percent of the rent, and the housing authority pays the rest.
Executive Director David Bustamante said the lack of affordable housing doesn’t help with the housing voucher shortfall.
“There’s not enough affordable housing and there are so many people looking for affordable housing that our tenants usually had a place around this area where we had landlords that would rent to our tenants, but what’s happened is other people that can pay fair market rent are now coming in and also competing for those same units,” said Bustamante.
Bustamante said the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority has contacted HUD saying it needs more money. When it receives more funding, it will start reissuing the vouchers.
The housing authority said this has happened three times before, and each time, it’s taken a couple of months to receive more funding. However, it’s waiting for Congress to pass a budget.
In the meantime, the group is helping about five to seven people in dire need of housing.
“They’ve been waiting for a very long time and some of them have some very specific issues that we need to get them housed,” said Bustamante.
He said you can apply for the public housing program if you’re on the waitlist.
There are also other organizations that help with affordable housing.
One that helps people who are homeless is the Least of These Ministry. It helps people who are homeless find resources for security deposits and find apartments.
The Least of These Ministry also has a motel called “Suites by TLOT” where people can stay while they look for permanent housing. The motel, which opened in February, is mainly for people who are homeless. People can pay an affordable price at the motel.
Meanwhile, the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Program, SERCAP, has several programs from rehab to housing counseling. It even has a program where they buy homes and rehab them. Those homes are then sold to people with low or moderate income.
“Having a house that has heat, clean safe drinking water, and a proper roof so that you’re staying warm safe, and dry is so important to just meeting your basic needs so that you can focus on the other things in your life,” said Director of Planning and Development Lauren Mason with SERCAP.