Housing Sites

What is the Public Housing Program?

Public housing was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, elderly residents, and persons with disabilities.

Public housing is limited to low-income families and individuals. The Lawrence County Housing Authority (LCHA) determines your eligibility based on:

• Annual gross income;
• U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status; and
• Whether you qualify as elderly, as a person with a disability, or as a family; all applicants and adult household members are subject to a criminal background check.Public Housing DevelopmentsThe LCHA owns and manages 12 developments – 8 family and 4 high rise developments, with a total of 847 units.  All developments are subject to HUD’s Smoke-Free requirement, prohibiting smoking in all developments.

Separate wait lists are maintained for each development.

How is Rent Determined?

Your rent, which is referred to as the Total Tenant Payment (TTP) in this program, would be based on your family’s anticipated gross annual income less any deductions. HUD regulations allow the LCHA to exclude from annual income the following allowances:

• $400 for any elderly family, or a person with a disability
• $480 for each dependent
• Some medical deductions for families headed by an elderly person or a person with disabilities.

What is the Housing Choice Voucher Program – Section 8?

The housing choice voucher program is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or the individual, 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, and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects.

Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by the LCHA. The LCHA 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 choice voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family’s choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program rules and regulations. This unit may include the family’s present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by the LCHA.

A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the LCHA 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. Eligible families and individuals pay 30% of their adjusted gross monthly income toward the rent plus utilities.

Eligibility for a housing voucher is determined by the LCHA based on total annual gross 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.