Fort Smith Housing Authority

To qualify for the housing authority, you need to reach out to the housing authority office. You then fill out a form that they give you and on that form, you list the below information:

• Names of the persons that will live with you.
• Their sex, birthdate, and relationship to you.
• Your contact and current address.
• Special circumstances that apply to you ( veteran, disability, elderly, etc.).
• Details of the previous landlord. The idea is that these landlords will be reached out to and asked if you are a reliable tenant.
• Income information, which means tax documents and W2 documents.
• Bank information, as that will be used to check the accuracy of your monetary situation.
• There is also a chance that you might get a home visit and asked questions.

The housing authority provides help with rent money. They can also help you with a very frequent housing problem: dead-beat landlords. If you have an issue with your landlord, and they do not do anything even after you complain, then hoping that things will change is a waste of time. It is time to act on your own and there are many resources that you can use to help yourself.

There is the rental protection agency, which then reports to higher housing authorities for inappropriate landlord conduct. The service can be completed online and there is a small fee for each application. The rental protection agency will take care of money issues, house code violations, or any management problems.

You are also welcome to go to the local police, which is free and immediate assistance. If you live in a place where the landlord is getting housing vouchers from you, then you can complain directly to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. You can reach them at this number : (800) 685-8470.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is aimed at helping low-income families who meet the requirement of income lower than 50% of the local area median income. The idea is that the cost of the rent is split between the tenant and the federal assistance program. The part that you pay depends on your income. You could get up to 30 % assistance on your rent or more, all depends on the specifics of the situation.

The main unit of measurement is the Fair Market Rent cost. If the unit that you live in has a cost that is in the range of the Fair Market Rent, you will get the 30% or more rent assistance as designated from the program and you pay the rest of the rent. If you choose to live in an apartment that is above the fair market rent, the Housing Choice Voucher Program will cover their percentage as a total of the housing market rent. Anything above the housing market rent will be charged out of your pocket.

The most popular program for public housing assistance is Section 8. There are many steps to apply for this type of assistance, but first and foremost you need to make sure that your landlord accepts payments in the form of vouchers provided by the housing authority. To apply for Section 8, you need proof that you have a low income, which comes in the form of job checks or tax returns, you need a state ID, you need to show your USA citizenship, you need to have a clean record, which means no felonies or drug use. The last part of the application is the special situations, which can either significantly put you at the bottom of the waiting list or can push you to the top. The idea is simple: the more drastic your situation, the earlier you will get the help.

This means that being homeless, having a disability, having an income that is on the 50% or below the local average income, living in a shelter, being a veteran, being part of the elderly, and exiting domestic abuse, will push you on top, as these are categories that need immediate assistance. You can also bypass the waiting list by reaching out directly to the housing authorities. You can also use the help of a social worker, who can assist you in navigating the application faster and can direct you to a new opportunity.

The idea of Section 8 is that it allows the landlord to rent their proprieties to eligible tenants that get federal help. The tenant pays its rent partially with the voucher and partially with its money. Section 8 covers rent for up to one year. For more than 1 year, you apply again for the program.