6/1/2009: Important Notice - The estimated waiting time for the HCV program is 2+ years. Click HERE for other affordable housing options.

1. What are housing choice vouchers: The housing choice voucher program (HCV) is the federal government's program for assisting low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. HCVs are administered throughout Winnebago County by the Oshkosh / Winnebago County Housing Authority (HA).

Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses and apartments. The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program. This unit may include the family's present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by the HA. See our "How To Find a Rental Unit" guide.

The HA receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program. A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program. The HA also maintains a current list of approved units. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the HA on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.

2. Am I eligible: Eligibility for a housing voucher is determined by the HA based on income and family size, and is limited to US citizens and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status. In general, the family's income may not exceed 50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which the family chooses to live. By law, a HA must provide 75 percent of its voucher to applicants whose incomes do not exceed 30 percent of the area median income. See the current Income Guideline Limits.

During the application process, the HA will collect information on family income, assets, and family composition. The HA will verify this information with other local agencies, your employer and bank, and will use the information to determine program eligibility and the amount of the housing assistance payment. If the HA determines that your family is eligible, the HA will put your name on a waiting list, unless it is able to assist you immediately.

3. How do I apply: If you are interested in applying, contact the Oshkosh/Winnebago County Housing Authority and request an application. You can request utilizing any of the following methods:

• Mail: Mail an application request letter to Housing Choice Voucher Program, PO Box 397, Oshkosh, WI 54903. Include your full name, mailing address, city, state, and zip code in the request letter. Indicate the number of adults and the number of children residing in the household.

• Phone: Call 920.424.1450 and follow the menu options. Request an application by clearly stating your full name, mailing address, city, state, and zip code. Indicate the number of adults and the number of children residing in the household. Don't forget to mention that you would like a Housing Choice Voucher application mailed to you.

• In Person: Stop in at the main office, located at 600 Merritt Avenue, Oshkosh, WI. Click here for a map. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

• Print an application from our website: click: 1-bedroom application. click: multi-bedroom application. You can mail in your completed application or drop if off at the main office.

• Email: Send an email request for an application to info@ohawcha.org. Include in the subject line: HCV Application Request. In the message, please include your full name, mailing address, city, state, and zip code in the request letter. Indicate the number of adults and the number of children residing in the household. Please note that email responses will generally take 7-10 business days. (As an email would require Internet access, please consider downloading and printing the application online, as listed above).

4. How HCVs Function: The housing choice voucher program places the choice of housing in the hands of the individual family. A very low-income family is selected by the HA to participate and advised of the unit size for which it is eligible based on family size and composition. The housing unit selected by the family must meet an acceptable level of health and safety before the HA can approve the unit. When the voucher holder finds a unit that it wishes to occupy and reaches an agreement with the landlord over the lease terms, the HA must inspect the dwelling and certify the rent requested is reasonable.

The HA determines a payment standard that is the amount generally needed to rent a moderately-priced dwelling unit in the local housing market and that is used to calculate the amount of housing assistance a family will receive. The housing voucher family must pay 30% of its monthly adjusted gross income for rent and utilities, and if the unit rent is greater than the payment standard the family is required to pay the additional amount. By law, whenever a family moves to a new unit where the rent exceeds the payment standard, the family may not pay more than 40 percent of its adjusted monthly income for rent.

Once the HA approves an eligible family's housing unit, the family and the landlord sign a lease and, at the same time, the landlord and the HA sign a housing assistance payments contract that runs for the same term as the lease. This means that everyone -- tenant, landlord and HA -- has obligations and responsibilities under the voucher program.

10. Family Self Sufficiency Program: Family self-sufficiency (FSS) is a HUD program that encourages communities to develop local strategies to help voucher families obtain employment that will lead to economic independence and self-sufficiency. The HA works with welfare agencies, schools, businesses, and other local partners to develop a comprehensive program that gives participating FSS family members the skills and experience to enable them to obtain employment that pays a living wage.

An interest-bearing FSS escrow account is established by the HA for each participating family. An escrow credit, based on increases in earned income of the family, is credited to this account by the HA during the term of the FSS contract. If the family completes the contract and no member of the family is receiving cash welfare assistance, the amount of the FSS account is paid to the head of the family.

To be eligible for the FSS program, you must be a current recipient of a voucher and must be in good standing with the HCV program (you can not owe the HA money). apply for the FSS program, download the online FSS Application HERE. Print off the application, read throught the instructions and program description, fill out the application, and return it to Oshkosh Housing Authority FSS Program, PO Box 0397, Oshkosh, WI 54903.

11. Additional HCV Information: For additional information about the voucher program, contact either the local PHA serving your community or the Office of Public Housing within your local HUD office. There may be a long wait for assistance under the housing voucher program. If the PHA also administers the public housing program, applicants for the housing choice voucher program may also ask to be placed on the waiting list for the public housing program.

You can also locate answers to many questions on the Frequently Asked Questions page.