Mohave County Housing Specialists Gail Worcester (left), based in Lake Havasu City, and Jennifer Harper (right) of Bullhead City pose with Senior Housing Specialist Danya Herd, who is based in Kingman, during an interview at the County Administration Building. Mohave County photo
KINGMAN – Mohave County’s Rental Assistance Program aids low income elderly and disabled people and families to live in safe, affordable housing in the private sector.
Three County housing specialists got together Thursday in Kingman to discuss the program.
“The Section 8 Rental Assistance Program grant funding comes from HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development),” said Senior Housing Specialist Danya Herd, who works out of the Community Services Department in Kingman. “We, the Mohave County Housing Authority, provide rental subsidies for low-income elderly and disabled people and families throughout Mohave County.”
“The participant families that our program assists are a diverse group,” said Housing Specialist Gail Worcester, who is based at the County’s Lake Havasu-area office. “The majority from the Lake Havasu area are elderly or disabled. The big difference in my area is when I do the eligibility process. Most of the clients are over the 30 percent of median income guideline.”
If they are over that amount, they can be on the waiting list, but priority goes to those below that level, Herd said. “We currently have about 200 families on the waiting list who are eligible and under the 30 percent limit. Three out of every four vouchers must go to people under the 30 percent limit with those above getting the fourth. Anyone over 50 percent of the median income level will not be eligible for the program.”
The waiting list is currently closed, Herd said. “We will let the public know when that list can be opened again.”
The Rental Assistance Program has been around since the 1970s, she said. “The current Housing Choice Voucher program started in the late 1990s. Instead of giving funds to build apartment complexes for people to live in who need assistance, the Voucher program took that funding directly to the families so they can live in affordable private sector housing.”
No property tax revenues are used for this program. HUD provides the grant funding for local housing authorities to administer to program “participants in the local areas,” Herd said. “This assistance makes living independently affordable to low-income elderly and disabled people and families who, without the program, would have a hard time making ends meet.”
The Section 8 Voucher Rental Assistance Program is a “tenant-based program,” she said. “That means the assistance belongs to the participating families. They have the ability to move their assistance from one rental unit to another. They are not forced to stay in one place out of fear of losing the assistance. So, as life changes, families can change with it and still keep their assistance.”
For instance, sometimes a family must move to find work which will help that family attain self sufficiency, she added. Also, since the program doesn’t create government housing, but actually funds available rentals in the private housing market, “the community benefits economically. We are paying subsidies for these families to local landlords and local property management companies in our communities.”
“Families who work or attend school need this assistance until they are able to become self sufficient,” Worcester said. “Many have successfully moved off of Section 8 housing and some have enrolled in the Family Self Sufficiency Program and moved on to home ownership.”
When a client moves out of the program, another person or family who has been on the waiting list can go on the program.
Housing Specialist Jennifer Harper from the Bullhead City office started with the Housing Authority in September.
“We have a variety of housing available for our clients,” she said. “We have site-built houses, manufactured homes and apartments. And we have a variety of clients. People who live in Bullhead City, Fort Mojave, Mohave Valley and Golden Shores will come to the County office in Bullhead City.”
People from Lake Havasu City, Desert Hills and Havasu Heights will come to the County office in Lake Havasu City. And those who are from the Kingman, Golden Valley, Dolan Springs, Meadview and surrounding areas will visit the County office in Kingman.
“Many of our low-income seniors and disabled people and families do not have reliable transportation,” Harper said. “That is why our satellite offices are important.”
“We have helped people who were living in sheds or garages,” Herd said. “We have taken them out of those places and assisted them into safe, affordable housing. We have many clients living at Somerset, Park Crest, Marble Canyon and Casa del Lago.”
Private sector home owners have an opportunity to ensure rental income with this program.
“Let’s say you own a home and you want to rent it out,” Herd said. “You call us and put your home on our list; a tenant likes your house and you like the tenant; the Voucher program helps you and the tenant.
“We serve approximately 360 families countywide,” she said. “That’s not just the vouchers we have available. It includes families that are able to move from other jurisdictions to our area and we administer their area’s vouchers.”
If someone moves from California with a voucher, Mohave County will administer that out-of-state voucher for the new resident, she said. But the HUD funds that come directly to Mohave County are used on Mohave County residents. “We do have a couple of families that have moved out of the area to other jurisdictions and are being administered by their new area’s housing authorities.”
“You can move anywhere in the United States and your voucher will be good,” Harper said.
“When we receive a family from some other area, the other area pays and we administer,” Harper said. “Plus we get 80 percent of their administration fee for the service.”
Herd has been with the Mohave County Community Services Department since July, 2001. She moved to Kingman to be close to family in 1998.
“I started in the Bullhead City office as an eligibility technician for the state-funded Emergency Housing Assistance Program and the federally funded Workforce Investment Act programs,” she said. “I was promoted to housing specialist in 2002 and then had the opportunity to work out of the Kingman office starting in 2004. That cut down on my commute. In 2008 I was promoted to housing specialist senior. I’m involved in the administrative stuff, watching our numbers and making sure our funding is where it should be. I also do the training for the other housing specialists.”
“She is an awesome trainer,” Harper said. “I began my employment with Mohave County in the Development Services Department, formerly Planning and Zoning, as an office assistant in 2004. After a while I was reclassified as a permits technician and then went on to become the department’s office specialist/Planning and Zoning Commission clerk.
“It was difficult for me to leave the Development Services Department,” she said, “but I have always had a passion to help others and this position enables me to do that on a daily basis. I have been a housing specialist since September and I absolutely love it. I take great pride in what I do and the people I serve because I know we are providing assistance to help individuals and families become self sufficient.”
Worcester has been a Mohave County employee for 11 years.
“I’ve always been with Community Services,” she said. “I started as an office clerk and then worked my way up as an eligibility technician and then a housing specialist.”
“We are particularly grateful to our participant owners and property management team,” Harper said. “Without them, the Housing Choice Voucher program would not exist. We value their business. They can take confidence in knowing they are guaranteed a rent check is paid each month on time.”
All three specialists spoke about the need for more property management teams and owners to get involved with the program.
“If you are interested,” Harper said, “call one of us and ask to be placed on our property management/owner list. We are hoping for more HUD funding to be able to open the client waiting list and be able to help more people.”
Being able to help people in need “is just a blessing,” Harper said.
For more information, call Herd in Kingman at (928) 753-0723, ext. 4196; Worcester in Lake Havasu City at (928) 453-0710; and Harper in Bullhead City at (928) 758-0702.
