(Housing Choice Vouchers)

GHA administers the Housing Choice Voucher program for Gaston County.  The Housing Choice Voucher program is HUD’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. GHA provides housing assistance (by issuance of a voucher) on behalf of the family or individual participants who then find their own housing within Gaston County where the owner agrees to rent under the program. This unit may include the family's present residence.

When a family finds a unit, the landlord submits a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) to GHA.  GHA will then inspect the unit which must meet HUD’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS) and GHA’s Acceptability Criteria Variations.

Once the unit passes inspection, GHA and the landlord will execute a Housing Assistant Payment (HAP) Contract.  A lease (with GHA addendum) is executed between the resident and landlord.  GHA is not a party to the lease.

The HAP Contract allows a housing subsidy to be paid directly to the landlord by the PHA 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.

Under certain circumstances, if authorized by GHA, a family may use its voucher to purchase a modest home. 

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