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Utah housing vouchers struggle to meet demand

By Sydnee Chapman Gonzalez - Utah Investigative Journalism Project | Nov 23, 2024
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Illustration by Sydnee Chapman Gonzalez
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Illustration by Sydnee Chapman Gonzalez

Editor’s note: The following story was reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with the Daily Herald, Standard-Examiner, St. George News and KSL.com. Haz clic aquí para leer en español.

Utahns hoping to access a popular public housing program face long waits and difficulty finding units in most regions in the state.

Wait times for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8, can last years. Meanwhile, immediate housing assistance is nonexistent in many areas, leaving some vulnerable Utahns in even more desperate situations.

A survey of Utah housing authorities by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project found wait times for a voucher range between a few months in Grand and San Juan counties to several years in Salt Lake County and St. George. Provo falls on the shorter end of the spectrum with waits of nine to 18 months, while the Utah County waitlist is three or more years.

The housing authority serving Duchesne and Uintah counties did not provide the UIJP with data. And the Housing Authority of Salt Lake City and Housing Connect, which serves Salt Lake County, share a waitlist.

Only 27% of the housing authorities reported wait times under a year, while a third reported wait times of at least three years.

It’s a common story across the country for the program — which helps low-income households afford housing in the private market — as rent prices continue to outpace wages.

Glenn Bailey, who has spent more than three decades serving low-income Utahns as executive director of Crossroads Urban Center, said there have been long waitlists for housing vouchers “as far back as I can remember.”

“Vouchers have never been available anywhere near the degree that is needed to meet the demand,” Bailey said. “So in periods like this, where we’re seeing rapid rent increases due to gentrification, we fall even further behind than we already are.”

"The waiting list is like 18 months and you need help today -- it's a crisis," said Diane Clough, a housing choice voucher specialist for the Provo City Housing Authority. "We don't downplay that because we definitely understand their circumstances, and it is tough out there. But as an agency, we can only do so much and offer as much help as we can."

Wait times aren't the only indicator that the programs can't keep up with demand. The number of households on many of the waitlists far exceeds the number of families the programs have the capacity to serve.

The Provo City Housing Authority, for example, reported over 2,000 families on its waitlist but said it can serve about 900 at a time. Utah County, meanwhile, reported over 6,300 on its waitlist and the capacity to serve a little over 1,047.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which oversees and regulates the program, said nearly all Utah housing authorities are operating at over 110% of their budgets due to rising rents and a plateau in funding for the program.

HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Richard Monocchio said this phenomenon means housing authorities often can't give out all their vouchers because they are spending more per voucher than before.

"The budget appropriation hasn't necessarily kept up with the need," he said. "Wait times are difficult because it's a function of the budget and we haven't seen a major increase in the number of vouchers in the country in a long, long time. ... In order for those wait times to be reduced, we need more funding."

Both the Provo City and Utah County housing authorities are among those agencies in shortfall. Provo is using nearly 106% of its $8.5 million spending allowance for the voucher program this year, while Utah County is using 112% of its $10.9 million allowance, according to HUD data.

Skip to the bottom for advice on getting a housing voucher and finding a rental.

Understanding the basics

The Housing Choice Voucher program is the nation's largest rental subsidy program. And, although it is a federal program, local housing authorities administer the vouchers. Once someone receives a voucher, they are responsible for finding a unit and paying 30%-40% of their income to their landlord. The housing authority that issued the voucher covers the rest.

Individual housing authorities can establish local preferences, such as for families or people who are disabled, elderly or homeless. Households with those preferences are moved up higher on the waiting list.

"Our demographics are mostly seniors, elderly, disabled and families," said Claudia Garcia, the Housing Choice Voucher manager for the Provo City Housing Authority. "Those clients are the ones that get preference points, so they move up higher on the list. The people who are single, non-elderly, non-disabled, then they're at the bottom of the list. So most of those will be on the waiting list for some time -- if they even come up."

Once an individual receives a voucher, they usually have 60 days to find a unit, although it is possible to get an extension. After an initial yearlong lease, participants can transfer their voucher to any other housing authority in the country if they wish to move.

Finding a unit, however, is often easier said than done, according to multiple housing authorities across the state.

"Even as few as five to seven years ago, it used to be incentive enough for landlords to know that they would have the guaranteed rent of our program to get somebody into a unit, but that's not enough anymore," said Andi Beadles, executive director of the Weber Housing Authority. "For one unit, they'll have multiple applications, and so they don't just have to rent to the first person that applies for their unit."

Common barriers for voucher holders include poor credit, a recent eviction or insufficient funds for a security deposit.

"They think that, 'Oh, I got my Section 8 voucher. I'm gonna be able to find a place now,'" said Ilez Brady, the Housing Choice Voucher director for Housing Connect. "Just because we gave someone a voucher doesn't mean that (it) automatically gives them housing. They still have to find a landlord that's going to rent to them."

Only about 72% of Utahns who receive a voucher are able to find a unit to lease, according to Monocchio, the HUD official. That's much higher than the national rate of 56%.

Limited resources

Resources that individuals can access while waiting for a voucher are limited, over-tapped or, in some cases, nonexistent, many housing authority employees say.

In Utah County, for example, there is no homeless shelter for individuals, and Provo City's zoning laws prohibit one. It also wasn't until 2023 that the county opened emergency warming centers during the winter.

"We hear all kinds of stories. Some people are down on their luck and they're out on the street, they're sleeping in their car and, unfortunately, we still have to tell them we don't have a voucher available," Garcia said. "We refer them to other agencies. And there's some people that have already been to other agencies And when it comes to that point, it's heartbreaking."

Some local resources include:

For additional services near you, call or text 211. The 24/7 system is free and confidential and connects Utahns to services across the state, ranging from shelter and housing assistance to health care.

Advice on navigating the Housing Choice Voucher Program

The UIJP talked with housing authority employees across the state about their advice on applying for a Housing Choice Voucher. Here are the main takeaways:

"The first piece of advice I can think of is to call and ask questions because it can be confusing," said Britnee Dabb, deputy director of the Housing Authority of Salt Lake City. She added that all housing authorities have access to interpretation services.

If you're applying for a voucher:

  1. Don't leave anything blank on your application. Missing information can be the difference between getting on a waitlist now versus weeks from now.
  2. Make copies of everything you turn into a housing authority. If you don't have a copier or don't live nearby a library to access one, you can use apps like Apple's Notes or PDFelement to convert a photo of the documents into a PDF.
  3. Get on as many waitlists as possible -- including Housing Choice Voucher waitlists in other areas as well as waitlists for public housing projects or other specialized programs. Tell housing authority employees about any disabilities, military service, age or other factors to help them determine which programs you might be eligible for.

"Our advice is to just get on as many waiting lists as you possibly can, and whichever one comes up first, take it," said Mike Barben, executive director of the St. George Housing Authority. "And then when you get up to the Section 8 ... they can transfer onto our program at that point in time."

Here is a list of housing authorities in the state with Housing Choice Voucher waitlists. Some areas' waitlists are closed, but don't forget to ask if they have other waitlists open.

If you are on a waiting list, call or visit the housing authority in person to make sure your contact information is up to date. If you don't have a permanent address, you can use a friend's or family's so you don't miss any communication about your place on the waitlist.

"A lot of the times when people have been on the list for however many years, then they reach the top and we can't get in touch with them. Their phone numbers change, their emails change, their addresses change. That is probably one of the biggest reasons why people fall off that list," said Brady, with Housing Connect. "I understand -- if someone's in a situation where they're just trying to figure out where to live day to day, the last thing they're probably thinking of is, 'Oh, I need to log in and update my address.'"

Sending an email to yourself in the future or using apps like Google Calendar can help you remember to check in with the housing authority. Remember, up-to-date contact info can make sure you don't miss out on a voucher or get removed from the waitlist.

You can also use your time on the waitlist to:

If you have received a voucher, start your search for a unit immediately.

While housing authorities can't tell you where to rent, many can provide you with a list of landlords. These lists can include things like which complexes are low-income or which landlords are open to tenants with low credit scores or criminal histories.

Some housing authorities also have landlord outreach or other staff that can help negotiate with landlords. Check out Affordablehousing.com for locations of available affordable rentals.

"Do not feel bad or worried or embarrassed or any negative emotion about calling a housing provider that is issuing you the voucher and asking, 'Hey, I've got a few weeks left, and I'm nervous.' Don't be afraid to ask them because it happens a lot. We see that a lot," Dabb said.

Other tips include:

  • Call every day on a unit or complex you may be interested in since units go fast.
  • Be up-front about bad credit or criminal history to see if landlords or property management companies will work with you to avoid wasting time and money on the application process.
  • Be open to a unit that might not check all of your boxes and get creative about options that could make that unit feasible (such as asking around for carpooling options if the unit isn't located near your job).
  • Remember that you can move to other areas of Utah or even outside the state with your voucher after the first year.

"I know that this maybe isn't the place you want to go, but this at least allows you to have the voucher and you can always move down the road," Brady said. "But don't take the chance of losing the voucher."