April 6, 2020
SDHC Receives 75 Additional Federal Rental Housing Vouchers to Help Reunite Families and Serve Former Foster Youth
San Diego, CA – The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) has been awarded 75 additional federal rental housing vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help reunite children with their families and assist youth exiting foster care who experience homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.
“With these new rental housing vouchers, the San Diego Housing Commission will be able to help 75 vulnerable households address the housing challenges that have separated families or created the risk of adding to the number of youth without a home of their own. We look forward to working with our partners to use these vouchers to have a positive impact on lives of these individuals and families,” SDHC President & CEO Richard C. Gentry said.
Part of the Family Unification Program (FUP), these 75 vouchers have an estimated annual value of $997,704.
This award brings SDHC’s total number of FUP vouchers to 175. SDHC partners with the Regional Task Force on the Homeless (RTFH) and the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and Child Welfare Services (CWS) to identify families and youth who qualify for the FUP program.
FUP vouchers assist:
- Families for whom the lack of housing is the primary factor in the separation of children from their families, or who are at imminent risk of such separation;
- Families for whom the discharge from children from out-of-home care is delayed because of a lack of housing; and
- Youths between the ages of 18 and 24 who have left or will leave foster care within 90 days and are experiencing homelessness or are at risk homelessness.
FUP vouchers work similarly to other rental assistance programs. Households pay a predetermined portion of their income toward their rent, and SDHC pays the balance of the rent, up to the applicable “payment standard” directly to the landlord. The “payment standard” is the maximum subsidy payment that the voucher would pay for an apartment or rental house minus the portion of the contract rent that the tenant pays. The payment standard is based on the number of bedrooms approved for the family’s size and the community to which the family moves.
SDHC Mobility Counselors and Landlord Liaison Teams will help FUP households search for housing in low-poverty census tracts, including neighborhood tours, unit viewings and landlord introductions. In addition, SDHC will provide financial assistance, including the security deposit, and for FUP-eligible youth, rental application and utility start-up fees.
FUP voucher holders also may receive services from the SDHC Achievement Academy, a learning and resource center at SDHC’s headquarters with programs that emphasize career planning, job skills, job placement and personal financial education. Youth who receive rental assistance through a FUP voucher also may receive services from partner organizations, including: San Diego Youth Services, YMCA of San Diego, Home Start, South Bay Community Services, Social Advocates for Youth San Diego and Urban Street Angels.
Federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance is SDHC’s largest program, helping pay rent for more than 15,000 households with low income in the City of San Diego.
For more information about SDHC, visit www.sdhc.org.
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Media Contact:
Scott Marshall, Vice President of Communications
619-578-7138
