LHA Resources
The City Of Longview Housing Authority’s mission is to promote adequate and affordable housing, economic opportunity, and a suitable living environment free from discrimination. The Longview Housing Authority serves Longview, Beckville, Kilgore, Henderson, and Carthage. Housing Choice Vouchers can be used anywhere within these service areas.
Listed below are several of our newsletters and other resources to keep you informed.
Housing Resources:
FY 2022 Income Limits - Effective April 18, 2022
| - | 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extremely Low - 30% |
$14,550 | $18,310 | $23,030 |
$27,750 | $32,470 | $37,190 | $41,910 | $45,700 |
| Very Low - 50% |
$24,250 | $27,700 | $31,150 | $34,600 | $37,400 | $40,150 | $42,950 | $45,700 |
| Low - 80% |
$38,750 | $44,300 | $49,850 | $55,350 | $59,800 |
$64,250 | $68,250 | $73,100 |
Fair Market Rents
Fair Market Rents (FMRs) are primarily used to determine payment standard amounts for the Housing Choice Voucher program, to determine initial renewal rents for some expiring project-based Section 8 contracts, to determine initial rents for housing assistance payment (HAP) contracts in the Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program (Mod Rehab), and to serve as a rent ceiling in the HOME rental assistance program. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annually estimates all areas. By law the final FMRs for use in any fiscal year must be published
and available for use at the start of that fiscal year, on October 1.
Due to potential changes in the geographic composition of an FMR Area over time, FMR histories may differ by county.
Click to see the FMR history.
Payment Standards
The Payment Standard for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)/Section 8 Program is set by LHA is based on the Fair Market Rents (FMRs) published each year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A Housing Agency may set its payment standard amounts from 90 percent to 110 percent of the published Fair Market Rents, and may set them higher or lower with HUD’s approval.
A Payment Standard is LHA’s maximum allowable monthly assistance toward an assisted family’s gross rent. Gross rent is the total of:
- Contract Rent charged by the landlord, plus
- the Utility Allowance, which is the credit from LHA to the family for essential utilities for which the family is responsible to pay, including a stove or refrigerator that is provided by the family.
Payment standards DO NOT determine or limit the rent a landlord may charge. However, the maximum contract rent a landlord may charge is based on the reasonable rent and the family’s affordability of the unit. Families may not pay more than 40 percent of their income at the initial term of leasing.
2022 Payment Standard Amounts - HUD Fair Market Rents - Effective Oct. 1, 2022
| Section 8 | - - - - - - | 0 B/R | 1 B/R | 2 B/R |
3 B/R | 4 B/R | 5 B/R | 6 B/R | 7 B/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longview / Gregg County |
Payment Standard - 110% |
848 | 932 | 1109 | 1546 | 1717 | 1974 | 2232 | 2489 |
| Panola County | Payment Standard - 110% |
716 |
721 |
950 |
1157 |
1337 |
- |
- |
- |
| Rusk County | Payment Standard - 110% |
761 |
766 |
1008 |
1268 |
1432 |
- |
- |
- |
| Longview CoC |
Fair Market Rent |
771 | 848 | 1009 | 1406 | 1561 | 1795 | 2029 | 2263 |
| Longview - DHO* |
Non-Imp. DHO - 155% |
1195 | 1314 | 1563 | 2179 | 2419 | 2782 | 3145 | 3508 |
**Longview DHO participant's payment standard operates at 155% of the Fair Market Rents. All other areas operate at 110%. **
Utility Allowances
Federal regulations governing the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program require that all public housing authorities review their utility allowance schedules annually. The appropriate adjustments are made when the costs of utilities have increased by 10% or more. HUD has defined "rent" to include both shelter and the costs for reasonable amounts of utilities. The amount determined necessary to cover the resident's reasonable utility costs is the utility allowance.
At the time of inspection, a determination of utilities and/or services paid by the tenant is made. The utility allowance tables are calculated according to HUD approved methodology based on theoretical average consumption, not actual tenant usage. The allowance varies greatly by unit size (number of bedrooms), type of unit (house, row / duplex / town house, mobile home), who pays the utility (landlord or renter) and/or what utilities (WST-water, sewage and trash, electricity, natural gas), and type of heating (gas or electric). The total of the utility obligations of the tenant equals the Utility Allowance. If the Utility Allowance is greater than the tenant's total tenant payment, a Utility Reimbursement Payment is sent to AEP SWEPCO on behalf of the tenant. All households will not receive a utility reimbursement.
Satellite, cable, internet and telephone services are not included in the Utility Allowance.
For some units, all utility costs are included in the owner's contract rent (all bills paid). All other units have allowances for participant-purchased utilities that are represented by fixed-dollar amounts that are deducted from the total Tenant Rent charged to a participating family. In cases such as this, the tenant pays the actual utility charges directly to the utility suppliers.