The Nevada Rural Housing Authority (NRHA) announced its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV, also known as Section 8) wait list will open on February 10, 2021 at 9 a.m. and will remain open until further notice. The Housing Choice Voucher program 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. Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies, such as the Nevada Rural Housing Authority.
NRHA’s voucher program covers all Nevada counties except for Washoe and Clark Counties. Those who need information about assistance in Washoe County should contact the Reno Housing Authority; in Clark County, individuals should contact the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority.
Applications for NRHA’s list will be accepted online at NVRural.org/applicants. To qualify, all households must meet income requirements set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. There are 1,393 vouchers allocated to all rural Nevada by HUD. HUD prescribes the requirements of how the vouchers are distributed to the various qualifying income levels. NRHA uses a random lottery selection to award vouchers. There are no numbers or positions “in line,” ensuring anyone who qualifies to join the wait list will have adequate time to do so.
“Our mission is to provide affordable housing opportunities to as many rural Nevadans as we can,” said Bill Brewer, NRHA executive director. “Especially considering the many affordable housing access issues facing rural Nevadans, we’re working to provide the hand up many of our clients need to get on a better path forward. Many of them are working families, and approximately half of our clients are elderly and/or disabled. NRHA is committed to maintaining an up-to-date wait list, which provides us a queue of qualifying individuals to randomly select from as vouchers become available.”
In addition to the Housing Choice Voucher program, NRHA’s Rental Services division is helping Nevada renters during the pandemic through the CARES Housing Assistance Program (CHAP); NRHA anticipates additional COVID-related relief funding will be available for rural renters in the coming months. For details about the HCV wait list, COVID-related relief opportunities and other affordable housing options throughout rural Nevada, please visit NVRural.org.
About the Nevada Rural Housing Authority
Nevada Rural Housing Authority’s mission is to promote, provide and finance affordable housing opportunities for all rural Nevadans. NRHA does this through homeownership programs, rental services, community development initiatives and an exclusive Weatherization program. The Authority serves Nevada’s 15 rural counties and the rural portions of Clark and Washoe Counties – a coverage area of 110,000 square miles and home to more than 1.3 million Nevadans. For more information, visit www.NVRural.org.