Houston Housing Authority to use $5 million federal grant to help residents with vouchers relocate to ‘opportunity neighborhoods’

The funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will help expand voucher holders’ housing options to include areas where they can take advantage of job opportunities, high-performing schools and low crime rates, according to the local housing agency.

The Houston Housing Authority says it will use a $5 million federal grant to help residents with Housing Choice Vouchers receive increased access to "opportunity neighborhoods" where they can take advantage of job opportunities, high-performing schools, low crime rates and other resources and benefits.

The housing authority announced this week that it had been awarded the grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of its nationwide housing mobility initiative. Houston's public housing agency was one of seven selected for the grant and one of three to be awarded the maximum amount of $5 million, according to the Houston Housing Authority (HHA), which provides homes and services to more than 60,000 low-income Houstonians, including more than 19,000 families with housing vouchers.

The grant funding will benefit an additional 1,000 families in need of affordable housing, according to a representative of the HHA, who said the agency also will use the money to hire six new staff members and provide up to $600 per family in moving expenses and up to $1,700 for security deposits. The funding also will go toward landlord incentives to encourage them to rent to low-income families.

"This grant will empower us to continue our mission of providing affordable housing options and creating thriving communities," HHA president and CEO David Northern Sr. said in a news release. "It will enable us to further our efforts in transforming lives and fostering prosperity."

Voucher holders can use them to secure tenant leases at apartments, duplexes, townhomes or single-family homes with the consent of the property owner, and they also can be used to help purchase homes. Participants usually pay about 30% of their monthly income in rent, with the housing authority paying a subsidy to the landlord to cover the remaining rental amount.

In addition to helping to expand voucher holders' housing options into areas considered more desirable, the HHA said the grant funding also will go toward Houston's ongoing efforts to address homelessness. The money will help provide pre- and post-move services, housing search assistance and "ongoing support to ensure successful integration into new communities," the HHA said.

"This substantial grant aligns seamlessly with our ongoing efforts to address homelessness and uplift the unhoused in our city," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

The HHA said it also has been selected as a finalist for HUD's Older Adult Home Modification Grant Program, which awards between $500,000 and $1.25 million. The local housing authority said it would use that potential funding to improve the safety, accessibility and functionality of seniors' homes by providing modifications such as adaptive equipment, railings and grab bars.