HUD REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR ALICKA AMPRY-SAMUEL ANNOUNCES $8.3 MILLION IN 646 NEW HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS TONEW JERSEY 

U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator Ampry-Samuel announced the HUD award at the NJ Governor’s Conference in Atlantic City 

The 2023 Fair Market Rents (FMRs), which go into effect on October 1, increased voucher values in New Jersey up to 13%, expanding options for voucher holders

Please see a chart with local funding amounts below

New York – Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Region II Regional Administrator Alicka Ampry-Samuel announced 646 new Housing Choice Vouchers totaling $8,328,385 awarded to Public Housing Authorities in New Jersey.  The announcement was made during HUD RA Ampry-Samuel’s keynote address delivered to housing officials, partners, and advocates at the 2022 NJ Governor’s Conference held annually in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“Housing Choice Vouchers give New Jerseyans the freedom to live where they choose,” said Alicka Ampry-Samuel, HUD Regional Administrator for New York and New Jersey. “These new vouchers, scattered across the state, will expand the number of families in the rental assistance program. HUD’s new Fair Market Rate calculations will increase the value of the vouchers, making it easier for these families to find a home.”

HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as Section 8, is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. The participant can choose any housing that meets the program’s requirements and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects.

HUD believes that every eligible household should have access to a voucher. Making market-rate housing that is affordable for lower-income families is an essential element of addressing the housing affordability crisis.

Nationally, HUD is awarding more than 19,000 new Housing Choice Vouchers to almost 2,000 Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) across the country. This will be the most expansive allocation of flexible new rental assistance in 20 years. HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program is administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs) using HUD federal funding.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is leading a historic expansion of housing vouchers. With the new Housing Choice Vouchers HUD is announcing today, along with steps HUD is taking to make it easier for households to use vouchers, families across the country will have greater access to safe, stable, and affordable housing and the opportunities that come with it,” said  HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge.

Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has repeatedly acted to help vulnerable renter households attain quality and stable housing through a historic expansion of the housing voucher program, including:

– The American Rescue Plan and Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget collectively provided nearly 100,000 new Housing Choice Vouchers, including the more than 19,000 vouchers announced today.

– In June, HUD announced $43 million in FY21 funding to fund approximately 4,000 new incremental housing choice vouchers, or “Stability Vouchers,” focused on people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, including in rural areas.

– The American Rescue Plan also included $5 billion to create housing and services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and

– provided tens of billions of dollars for Emergency Rental Assistance, which improved housing stability for over 6 million unique households, including 700,000 HUD-assisted households.

HUD is committed to providing relief for renters: more vouchers available to families who need them and increased value to make more homes affordable. Today’s announcement will help more people across the country access affordable housing, particularly people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The Administration recognizes the importance of housing vouchers in securing affordable housing and is fighting for an additional increase to the program. The President’s Fiscal Year 2023 HUD Budget requests $1.6 billion for an additional 200,000 new housing vouchers.

The President’s Fiscal Year 2023 HUD Budget request for an additional 200,000 new housing vouchers is about ten times the number of vouchers awarded today. This would be the largest one-year increase in vouchers since the program was authorized in 1974 and would support affordable housing and provide greater access to areas of opportunity. The proposed vouchers prioritize survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and households experiencing homelessness.

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