PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle Housing Authority recently received a federal grant of more than $140,000 that will allow it to expand access to affordable housing for non-elderly individuals who have disabilities.
The $140,951 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide 30 vouchers for the Presque Isle Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Unlike public housing, participants of the HCV program are not considered tenants of the Housing Authority. Participants receive a subsidy from the Housing Authority that allows them to live in any apartment of their choosing as long as it meets the program’s inspection and affordability guidelines.
As part of the HCV program, the Housing Authority pays a landlord the subsidy on behalf of the participants while participants pay a monthly rent that equals to 30 percent of their income. Participants who move to different apartments can take the subsidy with them anywhere in the country.
Jennifer Sweetser, executive director of the Presque Isle Housing Authority, said that this is the first time the Housing Authority has received a grant to expand the number of HCV subsidies it can offer specifically to non-elderly adults with disabilities.
The Housing Authority receives annual funding from HUD that allows it to serve no more than 75 subsidies to participants.
“There are currently around 50 people on our HCV waiting list and it can take two to four years before someone is able to obtain an apartment,” Sweetser said. “It’s not easy for people with disabilities to find safe affordable housing, especially if they have mobility challenges.”
The grant funding will help individuals who are at risk of becoming homeless due to lack of reliable housing, or who are transitioning from a homeless shelter, nursing home, transitional housing or a group home.
Sweeter said that the next step for the Housing Authority is to connect with local agencies. Case managers and social workers from those agencies will share information about the additional 30 HCV subsidies with clients and help guide them through the process of finding apartments. The Housing Authority will be able to begin offering the subsidies in March 2020.
“We’ll be able to offer housing to people who we might not otherwise get to reach out to without the funding,” Sweetser said.
The Presque Isle Housing Authority one of three housing authorities in Maine to receive HCV funding specifically tied to non-elderly participants who have disabilities. Lewiston Housing Authority will receive $159,138 while Westbrook Housing Authority will receive $313,047.
