Housing Authority Provides Section 8 Vouchers

Ron Wilshire

Ron Wilshire

Published July 28, 2015 4:40 am
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corcetti rentalsCLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Landlords and renters are now turning to the Clarion County Housing Authority for assistance in dealing with a surplus of available rental units in the Clarion area.

(Third in a series of articles dealing with changes and vacancies in the Clarion area rental market.  Today’s report deals with Section 8 housing vouchers and which landlords are utilizing it.)

“There really hasn’t been a huge change in the number of Section 8 vouchers we have awarded,” said Lorene Osborne, Clarion County Housing Authority Executive Director. 

Some voucher recipients are still having a problem finding affordable housing in Clarion, and there is also a waiting list of 120 people who would like to join the program.

In figures requested for this article, a total of 139 housing vouchers were issued in June 2015 for a total of $32,333.00 for the month.  In January 2011 (the earliest comparable computer records available) 120 vouchers were granted for a monthly total of $29,482.00.

Approximately $387,996.00 in Section 8 housing vouchers will be paid for rentals within the 16214 zip code.

The housing vouchers are funded by HUD and have specific requirements for eligibility.

“The amount paid for rent in Clarion depends on their family size and income,” said Osborne. “They can’t pay more than 40 percent of their income to get into the program.  It might be affordable for some people and not for the next person. If they can’t pay more than 40 percent, we have to negotiate with the landlord and bring it down or they have to try and find somewhere else.”

The complex rules for the program also help establish payment standards for fair market rent based on the number of bedrooms, using national and local values.  While there are some variances, the 2015 fair market rents that help determine maximum subsidies for Clarion County are:

  • Efficiency, $488
  • One-Bedroom, $527
  • Two-Bedroom, $610
  • Three-Bedroom, $723
  • Four-Bedroom, $919

“If the apartment rent is above 40 percent of their income, it’s not for affordable for them,” said Osborne.  “An extremely low income person is not going to have as many options for something with higher rent.”

Since the vouchers are a HUD program, voucher recipients can take the portable subsidies and move them to other communities and even states.

HUD limits the Clarion County Housing Authority each year as to the number of vouchers.

In addition to serving the needs of Clarion and Forest counties, the authority also manages a number of other programs in addition to its own housing complexes in Clarion County.

Deputy Housing Director Penny Campbell said occupancy for those units is at about 98 percent, and there is a waiting list that includes 104 for Penn Court Apartments in Clarion; 52 for Medardo Estates in Rimersburg; 93 for Hillside Apartments in Clarion; 29 for Cherry Run Estates in Rimersburg; and 19 for Edenburg Court in Knox.

A total of 42 landlords in the Clarion area have Section 8 housing.

Leading landlords with Section 8 Housing

According to figure supplied by the Housing Authority, Ron Corcetti leads landlords in the 16214 area with 18 housing units, followed closely by Brian Daugherty with 17 rental units.  Others with Section 8 units include Kent Pope, 13; Dennis, 7; Curt Wray, 6; University Inn, 5; and W. Smith, 5.

Tomorrow: A look at Clarion Borough Zoning Enforcement and impact of a changing population on the Clarion Area School District.

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