Housing Assistance in Tucson
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the fair market rent for apartments in the Tucson, Arizona, metropolitan area increased 37 percent between 2000 and 2010. Rising rental costs make it difficult for low-income families to afford rent, let alone consider buying a home. While the city of Tucson's housing assistance initiatives focus on rent, programs do exist to help low- to moderate-income households buy property.
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Need
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The fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Tucson metro area was $815 in 2010. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that a renter must make a full-time hourly wage of $15.67 to afford that price, based on the generally accepted standard that housing should consume no more than 30 percent of a household's income. The average renter household in Tucson earned $12.20 an hour in 2010, enough to afford a $635 apartment. Most of Tucson's housing assistance programs aim to address this disconnect.
Programs
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Tucson participates in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's two main rental assistance programs, Section 8 and public housing. Section 8, also known as the Housing Choice Voucher program, uses direct subsidies to pay the portion of a family's private market rent that exceeds 30 percent to 40 percent of their income. The city of Tucson explains that it owns and operates 1,505 public housing units across the city. HUD funding allows Tucson to set public housing rents at rates affordable to low-income families. The city of Tucson also offers assistance through its site-based affordable housing programs that consist of dwellings the city of Tucson owns and offers at low rent, in part, by leveraging federal grant money.
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Homeownership
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The city of Tucson also offers limited homeownership assistance to residents. For example, Section 8 tenants with good standing in the program may apply for the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program. This program allows employed and creditworthy Section 8 renters to put their subsidy toward a mortgage on their own property as opposed to rent. The city also provides down payment assistance to qualified home buyers for up to 4.5 percent of home's purchase price or $6,000, whichever is less.
Eligibility
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HUD stipulates that Section 8 applicants can earn no more than 50 percent of their area's median income, while the public housing program caps income at 80 percent of the median. In Tucson, these numbers are $29,500 and $47,200, respectively, for a family of four, based on 2010 HUD data. The El Portal program also uses the 80 percent threshold. Posadas Sentinel applicants cannot make more than 60 percent of Tucson's median income. Posadas Sentinel also includes a Family Self Sufficiency component; through this program income is capped at 50 percent of Tucson's median and participants must commit to a five-year job training and education program.
Considerations
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Eligibility does not guarantee assistance in any of Tucson's programs. All use a waiting list because of high demand and a short supply for subsidies and vacancies. For example, as of October 2010, Tucson's Section 8 waiting list is closed and the city's website notes that the public housing program is only accepting applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments.
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