General Questions
Eligibility / Waiting List Questions
Inspections/Property Management
Housing Choice Voucher Program
General Questions Q: What is the Grand Junction Housing Authority’s mission?
A: The Grand Junction Housing Authority advocates for and provides safe, suitable housing to the residents of the Grand Junction area whose annual income falls below the median income of Mesa County .
Q: Does the Housing Authority provide emergency housing?
A: No, the Housing Authority receives no funding for emergency housing. Grand Valley Catholic Outreach has a limited amount of financial assistance for people at risk of eviction. The Grand Junction Community Homeless Shelter provides emergency shelter for men, women and families with children. Grand Valley Catholic Outreach phone number is 970-241-3658. The Grand Junction Community Homeless Shelter number is 970-256-9424.
Q: Does the Housing Authority have a list of handicapped accessible units that may be available?
A: The Housing Authority has information and a listing of handicapped accessible units in the front lobby. If the Housing Authority is aware that a family needs an accessible unit, the Housing Authority will make every attempt (through phone calls, etc. to landlords who have had accessible units in the past) to assist the family in finding an accessible unit.
Q: Who does the Grand Junction Housing Authority serve?
A: As a first priority, the Housing Authority serves households within the Grand Junction City limits, but also serves households across Mesa County . Click this link to view the Housing Authority’s Waiting List Application Form and review page 4, Waiting List Information, to see how applicants are prioritized.
Q: What is affordable housing?
A: Affordable housing is defined as housing costs that are no more than 30% of a family's gross monthly income for rent and utilities. At any level of income, housing can be affordable or unaffordable according to this definition. Issues of housing affordability are thus a matter of comparing the costs of available housing in an area with the incomes of the population of that area. In the case of housing, good policy would be that which produces housing priced in the range of affordability for the area population.
Generally, affordable housing programs target "low", "very low" or “extremely low” income individuals and families. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), low income persons earn less than 80 percent of an area's median income. Very low income persons earn 50 percent or less of an area's median income. Click this link to view the Area Median Incomes for Mesa County .
Q: Why is there a need affordable housing?
A: Everyone deserves a safe, clean place to live. As the cost of housing rises, many people are forced to pay more than they can afford. Not only are people who are caught in or have slipped through the social safety net hurt but so are many others. People relied on all the time - teachers, bank tellers, police officers, waiters and fast food clerks, dry cleaner employees, secretaries, nurses, firefighters and even many young professionals - may need assistance with housing. Someone we know or people just like us - a relative or friend - may be impacted by the scarcity or cost of housing. Rising housing costs are a concern for everyone for the following economic and social reasons:
Economic
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Over the last 10 years, the largest job growth has occurred in the service and retail trade sectors. Service, retail trade and agriculture jobs on average pay much lower than other job sectors.
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Over the last 10 years, housing costs have significantly outpaced the increase in wages.
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Companies in the area rely on a mix of workers earning different levels of income. Without these workers, the companies could not afford to operate and would have to move elsewhere.
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People who cannot afford local housing costs are forced to commute from outlying communities, which 1) increases traffic congestion and air quality problem due to long commutes; 2) decreases dollars spent in Grand Junction on goods, services and entertainment; and 3) increases absences and decreases work productivity. Grand Junction cannot grow as a regional retail center without a local workforce.
Social
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Stable households create stable children in school, and stable families in neighborhoods, a stable quality of life and a constant demand for goods and services, which drives the local economy.
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Your family, friends and neighbors may be low income residents.
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Families paying too much for housing create more need for public and private support.
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Insufficient housing choice also means a lack of diversity and community richness.
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The lack of affordable housing options places a strain on the housing market as well as impacting community resources.
Q: How does one get appointed to the Grand Junction Housing Authority Board of Commissioners?
A: The Grand Junction Housing Authority Board is appointed by the Grand Junction City Council. The City Clerk announces vacancies when they come up, both in the local newspaper and City Newsletter.
Eligibility / Waiting List
Q: I filled out the paper work over 6 months ago. Can you tell me where I am on the waiting list?
A: Our computer system can give a numerical standing to families on our waiting list for the current day. This number may change the very next day due to new applications entered into the system. Our waiting list is ranked by these priorities: 1) elderly/disabled and working families with dependent children who live or work in the city limits, 2) non-working families with dependent children, and then 3) singles and families living out of the area. A family’s position on the waiting list can change on a daily basis due to other families with a higher priority applying. An applicant should contact the main office to determine if their info rmation on the waiting list is current.
There’s no simple answer to this question because an applicant’s wait depends upon the preferences they qualify for, in addition to the date of their application. Applicants need to keep their address current with the Housing Authority so they can be contacted by mail.
Q: What determines the next family to be selected from the waiting list?
A: The waiting list moves according to the amount of funding congress appropriates to HUD and HUD allocates to the Grand Junction Housing Authority. The number of participants leaving the program on a monthly basis also determines when more families on the waiting list can be served.
Q: How long can a family expect to be on the waiting list?
A: The Housing Authority has a limited number of Housing Choice Vouchers. A household with high eligibility status (local resident, working family with children or elderly/disabled) may be served in 1 ½ to 2 years. A household with low eligibility status (non-local, single adult, not elderly or disabled) may or may not be served depending on how many high eligibility / high priority households are on the waiting
For additional information visit www.HUD.gov
Inspections / Property Management
Q: Does the Housing Authority conduct inspections on a landlords’ property?
A: The Housing Choice Voucher Program provides an initial inspection prior to move in, and an annual inspection to verify continued compliance with HQS (Housing Quality Standards). Special inspections may be conducted at the request of a tenant or the landlord to ensure their unit is HQS compliant. The Housing Authority cannot visit properties without giving prior notice, nor does it provide a move-out inspection because that’s the landlord’s responsibility.
Q: Does the tenant need to have good references?
A: Yes. The landlord is responsible for doing their own property management and tenant screening. The Housing Choice Voucher Department checks police records of applicants for violent and drug related criminal activities and sex offenders.
Q: Does the Housing Authority help pay security deposits?
A: The Housing Authority may be able to help pay some of the security deposit. Visit the Security Deposit Assistance Program to review the requirements.
Q: How do I know if a unit has Lead Based Paint (LBP)?
A: Any unit constructed prior to 1978 has the potential for having LBP. During the HQS (Housing Quality Standards) inspection the Housing Authority looks for the signs and symptoms of a problem. If the unit was built prior to ’78 and the paint is peeling, cracking, chalking, or chipping it is considered to have LBP. If children under the age of six or a pregnant woman will reside in the unit, the Landlord will be required to stabilize the paint using safe work practices. A brochure called Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home is available at the Housing Authority office.
Q: What do I need to know about Lead Based Paint?
A: A brochure called Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home is available at the Housing Authority office. This brochure details the hazards, especially to small children, of lead dust and paint chips. If you wish to rent a unit built prior to 1978 and have children under 6 years of age or are pregnant, the Housing Authority’s initial and annual inspections must include a visual inspection for defective paint surfaces. Also, if you have children that have an elevated blood lead level, you must info rm the Housing Authority. The initial and each periodic inspection must include an actual test for lead based paint on chewable surfaces after the landlord corrects any paint problems. The landlord would have to correct any paint problems prior to the Housing Authority’s approval of the rent
For additional information visit www.HUD.gov
Housing Choice Voucher Program
Q: I have applied for a Housing Choicer Voucher, can I apply for Public Housing too?
A: Yes you may. If you are interested in the Housing Choice Voucher Program and need a place soon, you should apply for both programs because the waiting list is much longer for Housing Choice Vouchers.
Q: Once a Housing Choice Voucher is issued, how long does the recipient have to find a unit to lease?
A: The initial term is stated on the Voucher. Generally, families have 60 days to find a unit to lease. Extensions to this time can be granted upon approval of the Housing Voucher Program Supervisor by submitting: 1) hospitalization or a family emergency, 2) if the family can show evidence that they have made efforts to locate a unit and have requested assistance in finding a unit from the Housing Authority, or 3) if the family has turned in a Request for Lease Approval prior to the expiration date, but the unit has not passed inspection.
Q: How is rent determined?
A: The family is given a Housing Choice Voucher with a rent allowance based on the number of bedrooms needed by the family. HUD requires families pay 30% of their adjusted gross income for rent. (Deductions from gross income may be given for items such as child care, minor children, elderly or disability households, and/or medical expenses for elderly or disabled households.) If the family stays within the rent allowance, the family pays 30% of their adjusted income for rent.
If the family goes over their allowance, they will pay 30% of their adjusted income PLUS any amount over the allowance. HUD’s rules will not allow the family to rent a unit where the family’s rent share will be more than 40% of their adjusted monthly income for rent. The Housing Authority pays the balance of the rent to the landlord.
Q: What is adjusted income?
A: Adjusted income is the total household income after federally mandated deductions are deducted from the gross income. Deductions from gross income may be given for items such as child care, minor children, elderly or disabled households, and/or medical expenses for elderly or disabled households.
Q: What should be considered when leasing a unit?
A: Make a list of what’s important to your family. Remember that the initial term of the lease is for one year. A potential tenant should consider the following:
- Condition of the unit – will it pass the Housing Authority’s guidelines?
- Is the rent reasonable? Based on the current rental market for Mesa County , is the landlord charging too much for rent? If income fluctuates or changes in the future, 30% of your adjusted income could increase, causing your rent portion to go up.
- Is the rent on the unit reasonable and an amount you would be willing to fully pay if you had to do so – without assistance from the Housing Authority?
- What are the utility bills and is the unit energy efficient?
- Is the location close to public transportation, centers of employment, schools and shopping?
- Is the landlord flexible, and based on the initial impression, willing to work with tenants?
Q: Where can I lease a unit?
A: Anywhere in Mesa County . A recipient may also take their voucher, once received, and transfer it to another state, anywhere in the United States , providing there’s a Housing Authority located in the area the recipient desires to move to.
Q: What is portability and how does it work?
A: Portability allows the family to move outside of Mesa County . If a family has a Housing Choice Voucher, they can use it in another Housing Authority’s jurisdiction. The family must have prior approval of the Grand Junction Housing Authority.
Q: What are the lease requirements which must be followed?
A: Generally, compliance with all of the provisions of the landlord’s lease. The family and landlord must also sign an addendum to the landlord’s lease, which contains provisions required by HUD. The initial term of the lease must be for one year. If either the family or the landlord wishes to end the lease, Request for Lease Rescission must be given to the other party and the Housing Authority.
Q: When an acceptable unit is located, how does the family get the Housing Authority approve it?
A: The Housing Authority provides the family with a packet of information about the Housing Choice Voucher Program. In this packet is a form titled Request for Tenancy Approval. Give it to the landlord to complete. The landlord must read the form and then complete Items #2 through #10b, filling out the name and address box as they wish it to appear on the rent check. The family must sign the name and address box on the right hand side and return it to the Housing Authority for an inspection of the unit. The Housing Authority will usually schedule an inspection on the same day the form is brought into the office, depending on time considerations.
Q: What are the Housing Authority guidelines in approving a unit a family wishes to rent?
A: The Housing Authority cannot approve any unit to rent that does not pass HUD’s HQS (Housing Quality Standards). The Housing Authority must also make sure that a family will not be paying more than 40% of their gross income for rent.
Q: What information can the Housing Authority give to a prospective landlord?
A: The Housing Authority will give to the landlord the family’s current address, and current and prior landlord’s name and address. We can also tell the landlord how many any family members are in the household.
Q: What are the Housing Authority’s standards regarding bedroom size requirements and in what circumstances will the Housing Authority consider exceptions to these standards?
A: The Housing Authority’s standards provide for the smallest number of bedrooms needed to house a family without overcrowding.
For example, a family of one adult and two teenage children (one female and one male) would receive a 3 bedroom Voucher, but a family of one adult and two teenage children (two females) would only receive a 2 bedroom Voucher.
Q: What if I believe that a landlord is discriminating against me or my family?
A: Discrimination is against the law. Discrimination means that you are treated differently because of your age, color, creed, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. In housing, discrimination generally means a denial of your right to choose the housing that you want or being forced to accept housing conditions which other people would not have to accept if they rent the same unit (for example: paying higher rents or security deposits). However, the landlord does not have to rent to you or your family if you do not have good references. If you feel that you have been discriminated against, please call the Housing Authority for assistance. You may also call the Colorado Civil Rights Division at 248-7329.
Q: How does a family know which landlords will work with the Housing Authority and may be willing to lease a unit to the family?
A: The Housing Authority maintains a list of vacancies (called or brought in by landlords), which are posted in our main office. Grand Valley Catholic Outreach also provides a guide to rentals in Mesa County called Almost Home. It is updated every week and a copy is available at the Housing Authority’s main office. The Housing Authority also has a listing of property management companies which accept Vouchers.
Q: What rules must be followed while receiving a Housing Choice Voucher?
A: The Voucher you will receive is, in essence, a contract between you and the Housing Authority and states your obligations while receiving a Voucher. Some of these obligations are to:
- Supply any information that Housing Authority or HUD determines to be necessary for use in regularly scheduled or interim reexaminations of family income and composition;
- Disclose and verify social security numbers and sign and submit consent forms for obtaining information ;
- Supply all in formation n requested by the Housing Authority to verify that the family is living in the unit or information related to family absence from the unit;
- Promptly notify the Housing Authority in writing when the family is away from the unit for an extended period of time;
- Allow the Housing Authority to inspect the unit at reasonable times and after reasonable notice;
- Notify the Housing Authority and the owner in writing before moving out of the unit or terminating the lease;
- Use the leased unit only for residence by the family receiving the Voucher. The leased unit must be the Voucher family’s only residence;
- Promptly notify the Housing Authority in writing of the birth, adoption, or court-awarded custody of a child;
- Request Housing Authority written approval to add any other family members as occupants of the unit;
- Promptly notify the Housing Authority in writing if any family member no longer lives in the unit;
- Give the Housing Authority a copy of any owner eviction notice;
- Pay utility bills and provide and maintain any appliances that the owner is not required to provide under the lease;
- Ensure any information the family supplies must be true and complete.
The family (including each family member) must not:
- Own or have any ownership interest in the unit;
- Commit any serious or repeated violation of the lease;
- Commit fraud, bribery or any other corrupt or criminal act in connection with the program;
- Participate in illegal drug or violent criminal activity;
- Sublease or let the unit or assign the lease or transfer the unit;
- Receive separate forms of government rent subsidy, either in the same unit or a different unit;
- Damage the unit or premises or permit any guest to damage the unit or premises;
- Receive housing assistance while residing in a unit owned by a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sister or brother of any member of the family unless approved by the Housing Authority for reasonable accommodation for a family member with disabilities;
- Engage in illegal use of a controlled substance or abuse of alcohol that threatens the health and safety or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents; or
- Engage in or threatened abusive or violent behavior toward GJHA personnel.
Q: What if I disagree with a decision made by the Housing Authority?
A: The Housing Authority must then give a participant family an opportunity for an informal hearing, to consider whether the decision is in accordance with HUD’s regulations. The following circumstances warrant an informal hearing:
- A determination of the family’s annual or adjusted income and the use of such income to compute the housing assistance payment.
- A determination of the appropriate utility allowance (if any) for tenant paid utilities from the Housing Authority’s utility allowance schedule.
- A determination of the family unit size under the GJHA subsidy standards.
- A determination to terminate assistance for a participant family because of the family’s action or failure to act.
- A determination to terminate assistance because the participant family has been absent from the unit for longer than the maximum period permitted under GJHA policy and HUD rules.
- A determination of violation of family obligations.
The Housing Authority must give the family prompt written notice that the family has the right to request an informal hearing regarding the Housing Authority’s decisions. The notice must contain:
- A brief statement of the reasons for the decision,
- State that if the family does not agree with the decision, the family may request an informal hearing on the decision, and
- State the deadline for the family to request an informal hearing.
Upon receipt of the written notice the family can schedule an informal hearing.
Q: Who pays the security deposit on the unit a family wants to lease?
A: The family is required to pay the security deposit. However, the landlord cannot charge you more than what is charged to tenants that are not receiving housing assistance. When you move out of the unit, the landlord, subject to state or local law, may use the deposit in accordance with the lease, as reimbursement for any unpaid rent, damages to the unit, or for other amounts you may owe. The landlord must give you a written list of all items charged against the deposit and the amount of each item. After deducting the amount, if any, the landlord must refund promptly the full amount of the unused balance. If the security deposit is not enough to cover the total amount you owe, the landlord may seek to collect the balance from you in accordance with Colorado state law. The landlord may not seek reimbursement from the Housing Authority for any damage or vacancy loss under any housing contract executed as of October 1, 1995 . For additional info rmation on assistance with security deposits visit the Housing Authority’s Security Deposit Assistance Program.
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