Theresa Biggs, CHA Waiting List Manager, left, interviews a man in this 2012 file photo.Chattanooga residents waiting nearly a decade for subsidized housing may get vouchers this weekend, but the Chattanooga Housing Authority knows the odds are against them finding a home.
Only 30 percent of people with vouchers will find a landlord to sign a lease, said Tammie Carpenter, director of the Housing Choice voucher program.
Residents with vouchers have a hard time finding apartments or homes because the housing authority reduced its rent payments to landlords, who get up to 15 percent less for rent this year than they did in 2012. Instead of taking the lower amount, many landlords find tenants who do not use the vouchers.
Rent payments are set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Carpenter said she’s hopeful that the federal agency will increase payments when it evaluates fair market housing rates in October.
Still, the challenges of finding new homes did not deter the crowd that sat at cafeteria-style tables in the housing authority’s break room this week while waiting to discuss what was needed to complete the voucher application.