MaineHousing and Maine Association of PHA Directors Announce Partnership to Encourage Landlords to Participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Program
MaineHousing and the Maine Association of Public Housing Directors (MAPHD) have partnered to encourage private landlords to rent units to Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) recipients which will increase affordable housing availability in Maine.
MaineHousing has made $380,000 of HCV Program Administrative Fees from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) available for the program in 2021, with an expected extension through 2022.
“Maine landlords are key to helping us provide Maine people an affordable place to live,” said Daniel Brennan, director of MaineHousing. “HCV tenants frequently have a hard time finding landlords who will accept a housing choice voucher. This program aims to help change that and encourage landlords to work with public housing authorities across Maine.”
MaineHousing, which is the public housing authority for municipalities in Maine without their own PHA, has successfully run a similar program. Brennan noted that this helps “level the playing field” across the state.
“With over 25,600 people on Maine’s centralized wait list for Housing Choice Vouchers, we are working together and getting creative about how to help house folks who finally get a voucher,” said Jennifer Sweetser, chair of MAPHD and executive director of the Presque Isle Housing Authority. “We hope these incentives encourage landlords to take a chance on participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program.”
Incentives include a $750 signing bonus for landlords who lease a unit to an HCV recipient, grant funds to fix items that fail the federally-required unit inspection standards, and grant funds to help fix damage caused by an HCV recipient. The program also funds security deposits for HCV recipients.
More information can be found at mainehousing.org/landlordincentives.