, vouchers will cover the fair market rent within the zip code where the home is located, pegging the value of the voucher to the specific rental market within that zip code.rent in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area is $961 for a one-bedroom home and $1,849 for a four-bedroom — meaning that is the maximum allowed, no matter where the home is located. Breaking down fair market rent by individual zip code means vouchers will cover the higher cost of rent in higher-rent zip codes.
“Especially for low-income kids, the difference between growing up in one neighborhood and another just a few miles away, can literally impact their average earnings in adulthood,” Williams said. HON now owns about 500 properties in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Tampa and Minneapolis, in addition to the 30 homes it owns here.
If property owners in high-opportunity neighborhoods don’t see a financial benefit to renting to Section 8 voucher holders, those renters will continue to be relegated to lower-income neighborhoods. For example, under the updated voucher policy, rent for a four-bedroom home in Evon’s zip code is $2,530. Under SAHA’s grouping system, though, her voucher would only cover rent up to $2,466. Even though it’s only a difference of $64, voucher holders are not allowed to pay more than 30% of their income, even if it’s $5 or $100.
Part of the challenge finding landlords to participate is the stigma associated with voucher holders. Landlords and neighbors often assume that low-income tenants will decrease their property values or bring crime to the neighborhood. That’s where HON’s underlying mission kicks in — it doesn’t need to charge the highest possible rent, just what the voucher allows.that offer transportation, health and wellness, financial literacy and job training services. Being an advocate for tenants helps keep the company’s turnover rate low, Williams said.
if they receive city incentives. Under the policy, if a tenant is otherwise not qualified to live at a property, the landlord can still reject them — but it can’t be because of the voucher.