Community Action Agency
Housing Choice Voucher - Rental Assistance
- Homeless Assistance Recovery Program (HARP)
- Family Self-Sufficiency Program
Community Action Agency provides rental assistance in the form of Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) to very-low income families residing or employed in Ottawa County. CAA issues and administers approximately 400 HCV’s provided by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.
After qualifying applicants for the program, staff educates and prepares applicants, assists voucher holders with locating suitable housing, inspects rental units, and reviews lease agreements. There is a long waiting list for the program, and it’s open only occasionally to receiving new applications.
Open application periods are advertised in area newspapers and through other area human service organizations.
In addition to standard HCV’s, CAA sets aside a certain number of its vouchers for homeless individuals and families through its Homeless Assistance Recovery Program (HARP). Applicants who are currently homeless may apply for this program on an ongoing basis. For additional information please call (616) 393-4433.
As a part of the HCV program, CAA also operates a Family Self-Sufficiency program (FSS). FSS aims to move participants from welfare to work by helping families identify barriers to employment. They set goals and outline specific steps to obtain the assistance needed to acquire and retain employment. FSS participants are also able to save a portion of their rent obligation in an escrow account to be used at the end of the program. The saved money can be used for the down payment of a home, payment of educational expenses, or to start a business.
Landlords wishing to receive more information about the HCV program are encouraged to call Community Action Agency at (616) 393-4433 and set up an appointment.
