How to Apply

Apply in person at SMHA Office

You do not need an appointment to start the application process, you may pick up the LRP or Section 8 application Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except holidays. The office is closed for lunch daily from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. Completed applications will be taken at our office on Thursdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

The SMHA needs to collect the following information on the application to determine eligibility:

  1. Names of all persons who would be living in the unit, their sex, date of birth, and relationship to the family head;  Birth Certificates for all family members  (Green Cards and Passports for all family members not a U.S. Citizen), Social Security cards for all family members.
  2. Your present address and telephone number;
  3. Family characteristics (e.g., veteran) or circumstances (e.g., living in substandard housing) that might qualify the family for tenant selection preferences;
  4. Names and complete mailing addresses of your current and previous landlords for information about your family's suitability as a tenant;
  5. Complete names and mailing addresses for all six references that are required.  References cannot be any relation to the applicant(s) and you must have a total of six references in any combination of Landlord, Personal, or Credit.
  6. An estimate of your family's anticipated income for the next twelve months and the sources of that income; including pay stubs, Social Security and SSI Award Benefits Statement Letters, Income from Ohio Dept. of Jobs and Family Services, Veterans Administration, Pensions, etc.
  7. The names and addresses of employers, banks, and any other information the HA would need to verify your income and deductions, and to verify the family composition; and
  8. The PHA also may visit you in your home to interview you and your family members to see how you manage the upkeep of you current home.

Application Process - What do I need to Apply?

Applicants need to bring the following at the time of application:    (If you do not provide all the information at the time of your application, it will cause a delay in processing.)
  • Birth certificates for all persons to be on application
  • Social Security cards for all persons on application
  • All adults on application are required to sign all forms
  • Citizenship /Alien status for persons born outside U.S.
  • Verification of assets of all household members
  • Verification of income of all household members
  • Present and past landlords. Please provide the names, addresses (street, city, state, zip code), and phone numbers of all landlords for the past 5 years.
  • Applicants who have lived in public housing or Housing Choice Voucher Program housing previously, need to provide the address and dates of their residence.

Examples of income include but are not limited to: TANF, Social Security, SSI, employment, unemployment, child support, retirement or disability pension benefits, VA benefits, alimony, bank interest, dividends and any other source of income.

Approximate waiting list times vary by bedroom size, type of unit (family vs. high-rise) and admission preferences. An Intake Specialist contacts applicants once their name comes to the top of the waiting list for the appropriate bedroom size. Applicants should contact SMHA if there is a change in their address or any other information previously provided to SMHA which might affect their waiting list status.  If you have applied for SMHA housing, don't forget to update your contact information with us. We will need to contact you when housing becomes available: a current telephone number and address are essential.

Are there any selection preferences?
Sometimes there are. Giving preference to specific groups of families enables an HA to direct their limited housing resources to the families with the greatest housing needs. Since the demand for housing assistance often exceeds the limited resources available to HUD and the local HAs, long waiting periods are common. Each HA has the discretion to establish preferences to reflect needs in its own community. These preferences will be included in the HAs written policy manual. You should ask what preferences they honor so you will know whether you qualify for a preference.

When an applicant is no longer interested, we request that the cancellation is made in writing.

How is Low-Rent Public Housing Rent Determined
Your rent, which is referred to as the Total Tenant Payment (TTP) in this program, would be based on your families anticipated gross annual income less deductions, if any.  Based on your application, a SMHA representative will determine if any of the allowable deductions should be subtracted from your annual income. Annual income is the anticipated total income from all sources received from the family head and spouse, and each additional member of the family 18 years of age or older. The formula used in determining your rent is the highest of the following, rounded to the nearest dollar:

  1. 30 percent of the monthly adjusted income. (Monthly Adjusted Income is annual income less deductions allowed by the regulations-$480 for each dependent; $400 for any elderly family, or a person with a disability; and some medical deductions for families headed by an elderly person or a person with disabilities.);
  2. 10 percent of monthly income.
  3. A $50 minimum rent.

In general, you may stay in public housing as long as you comply with the lease. If, at reexamination your family's income is sufficient to obtain housing on the open market, the HA may determine whether your family should stay in public housing. You will not be required to move unless there is affordable housing available for you on the open market.

Will I have to Sign a Lease?
If you are offered a house or apartment and accept it, you will have to sign a lease with the HA. You will also be required to give the HA a security deposit. You and the HA representative should go over the lease together. This will give you a better understanding of your responsibilities as a tenant and the HA's responsibilities as a landlord.

What is the role of the HA?
An HA is responsible for the management and operation of its local public housing program. They may also operate other types of housing programs. On-going functions: (a) Assure compliance with leases. The lease must be signed by both parties; (b) Set other charges (e.g., security deposit, excess utility consumption, and damages to unit); (c) Perform periodic reexaminations of the family's income at least once every 12 months; (d) Transfer families from one unit to another, in order to correct over/under crowding, repair or renovate a dwelling, or because of a resident's request to be transferred; (e) Terminate leases when necessary; and (f) maintain the development in a decent, safe, and sanitary condition.

Public Housing Eligibility Requirements

Low/Moderate-Rent Housing

To Be Eligible for Low/Moderate-Rent Housing, the applicant:
  1. MUST qualify as a family member (have minor children) OR
  2. MUST be age 62 years or over, OR 
  3. MUST be physically handicapped or disabled as certified by Section 23 or 105 (5) of the Social Security Administration AND 
  4. MUST meet the income requirements below:

Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers

To Be Eligible for Section 8 housing, the applicant must be 18 years of age or older and meet the income requirements below:

INCOME REQUIREMENTS
 
NO. IN FAMILY 
PUBLIC HOUSING
  
   
APPROXIMATE   MAXIMUM
GROSS YEARLY INCOME  
  
 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
$53,200
$60,800
$68,400
$76,000
$82,100
$88,200
$94,250
$100,350
  
       
 
NO. IN FAMILY 
SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER
  
   
APPROXIMATE   MAXIMUM
GROSS YEARLY INCOME  
  
 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
$33,250
$38,000
$42,750
$47,500
$51,300
$55,100
$58,900
$62,700