L.A. City Housing Authority: New Voucher Standards Effective August 1st
L.A. City Housing Authority: New Voucher Standards Effective August 1st
The Housing Authority for the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) has announced a new Voucher Payment Standard (VPS) schedule which is being implemented as a further cost containment measure. The new schedule is set at 110% of the amount of Fair Market Rent (FMR) / Small Area Fair Market Rent (SMFMR) (rather than the previous 120% of FMR / SMFMR amounts to “bridge the gap” in the funding shortfall HACLA is projecting by year end.
The new VPS schedule is being provided on HACLA’s website and is also provided in the following link: CLICK HERE.
While the higher opportunity areas in tiers 1-4 will have a decrease, the VPS for all other vouchers in the remaining zip codes, mainly South and East Los Angeles, have a slight increase from HACLA’s current VPS amounts, although those VPS amounts are still lower than last year’s amounts.
The new 110% VPS applies only to current participants of the voucher program if they move to a new unit on August 1, 2025, or later. In other words, the new Voucher Payment Standard schedule is effective for all new voucher contracts with a contract starting August 1, 2025, or later.
This new schedule applies to all voucher holders whether they are new applicants or participants moving from one Section 8 unit to another. HACLA cautions; however, that this new 110% Voucher Payment Standard does not apply to current Section 8 participants if they remain in their current unit, as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allows these voucher recipients to remain unaffected by this change, and those participants will continue using the current 120% VPS.
In a statement, HACLA has advised they are “…working to ensure that current Section 8 participants remain supported,” and “is identifying additional steps to reduce program costs and continues to actively seek funding solutions.” HACLA has advised that they have submitted a request for shortfall support from funding set aside by HUD for agencies with similar financial constraints.