A group of seniors facing large rent increases at a Paddock Hills affordable housing development are poised to get vouchers that would help them stay in their apartments.
A spokesperson for the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority confirmed Friday it will issue 11 residents at Victory Vistas emergency housing vouchers pending final inspections of the building. Those residents' rents went up from roughly $600 a month to about $1,200 a month. CMHA says the emergency vouchers are the first under a new policy designed to help intervene in certain specific situations that could result in eviction.
Sandra Roberts is one of the people who saw her rent double. She says preliminary rent under the voucher will bring her expenses close to what they were previous to the rent hike.
“The estimate is not too bad," she said. "Some peoples’ are a little less than they were. Mine is just a little bit more. And I can work with that.”
The housing authority administers Housing Choice vouchers for about 7,100 local households, though it can issue more depending on funding.
Developer Kingsley and Co. built Victory Vistas using federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Those credits required 10 units of the building be affordable at 30% of Area Median Income — or about $600 a month for a single person.
However, Kingsley says the building's former property manager rented out an extra 11 units at that low rate, a level the company says isn't financially sustainable. Kingsley notified tenants last fall they would need to pay 60% AMI — roughly $1,200 a month rent.
Those residents sought help from Greater Cincinnati Legal Aid, saying they wouldn't be able to pay the elevated rate and that the hikes amounted to non-renewal of their leases.
City elected leaders condemned the rent increases. Mayor Aftab Pureval called the situation "plain wrong" after hearing from tenants during a City Council meeting.
The Ohio Housing Finance Agency, which administers the federal tax credits Kingsley received for the project, said the rent hikes are within HUD limits and Kingsley hasn't violated the terms of those awards.
Kingsley and development partner SO-ACT had said they would cover the rent increases through March 1. In a statement, Kingsley said arrangements for the residents getting vouchers are almost complete.
"While we continue to work through the final details with all parties to ensure a fully resolved outcome, this approval is a significant step toward the long-term stability our residents deserve," the statement said.
Roberts says she's cautiously optimistic.
"We’re getting close," she said. "Were just being patient and waiting."
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