Homeownership Program
The homeownership option is used to assist a family residing in a home purchased and owned by one or more members of the family. A family assisted under this option may be newly admitted or an existing participant in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The family must meet all requirements listed below before the commencement of homeownership assistance.
- The family must be admitted to the HCV program.
- The family must qualify as a first-time homeowner.
- The family must meet the Federal minimum income requirement. The family must have a gross annual income equal to the Federal minimum wage multiplied by 2000, based on the income of adult family members who will own the home.
- For disabled families, the minimum income requirement is equal to the current SSI monthly payment for an individual living alone, multiplied by 12.
- For elderly or disabled families, welfare assistance payments for adult family members who will own the home will be included in determining whether the family meets the minimum income requirement. It will not be included for other families.
- The family must satisfy the employment requirements by demonstrating one or more adult members of the family who will own the home at the commencement of homeownership assistance are currently employed on a full-time basis (the term "full-time employment" means not less than an average of 30 hours per week); and has been continuously so employed during the year before the commencement of homeownership assistance for the family.
- The employment requirement does not apply to elderly and disabled families. In addition, if a family other than an elderly or disabled family includes a person with disabilities, WHA will grant an exemption from the employment requirement if WHA determines that it is needed as a reasonable accommodation.
- The family has not defaulted on a mortgage, securing debt to purchase a home under the homeownership option.
- WHA requires a minimum down payment of 3% of the purchase price and requires at least 1% of the purchase price to be obtained from the personal resources of the family. For disabled and elderly families, there will be no additional minimum income requirement; however, non-disabled families shall have an annualized income of at least $18,000.00 per year.
Washington Housing Authority will limit the number of eligible families to participate to 10 per fiscal year. Families will be selected according to the date and time of application. Elderly and disabled families and families participating in or graduates of the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program will be selected ahead of non-participating families. WHA reserves the right to amend this number when necessary as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability. In such cases, WHA may reduce the number of slots offered in subsequent years.
Families must meet the following guidelines to be determined eligible to participate in the homeownership option:
- The family has had no family-caused Housing Quality Standards violations within the past year.
- The family is not within the initial one-year period of the Housing Assistance Payment Contract.
- The family does not owe money to WHA or any other housing authority.
- The family has not committed any serious or repeated violations of the lease within the past year.
- The family agrees to cooperate and comply with the terms and conditions of the homeownership contract
- The family is in compliance with the family obligations and has not had any infractions within the past year.