Charles County Department of Community Services
Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Success

HUD's Housing Choice Voucher Program provides rental assistance to low and moderate-income households unable to afford housing. Recently, HUD expanded the program to allow these same payments to be used towards a participant's monthly mortgage, thereby making low and moderate-income persons new homeowners.

The Charles County Department of Community Services' Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program is available to Housing Choice Voucher participants who meet certain eligibility requirements. A person must participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Program a minimum of one year and, except for elderly and disabled families, at least one household member must be employed full-time. The applicant must have good credit and be capable of securing a loan through an independent lender. For all persons who will have ownership interest in the home, they must not have owned a home within the past three years.

The tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher Program has been administered by the County since the 1970s, providing rental assistance to thousands of persons unable to afford a place to live. Recently, HUD program changes resulted in housing assistance payments being available to be used towards home purchase. As a result, many HCV participants who have never owned a home and have rented their entire lives may be eligible to purchase their own home.

All Housing Choice Voucher participants are eligible for an initial consultation with the Housing Program Specialist to review whether they qualify. Income, credit history, and Housing Choice Voucher history is reviewed. If it appears a person may be eligible, they are required to attend Home Buyer and Budgeting Seminars offered by local HUD certified counselors. Once the seminars are successfully completed and eligibility is confirmed, a person is issued a Homeownership voucher and they may begin the process of getting pre-approved by a qualified lender and then searching for their home.

Escalating housing costs in recent years have made purchasing a home through the homeownership program difficult for many prospective buyers. Fortunately, the USDA Rural Development Administration provided additional funding to make the homeownership purchases a reality for two participants. Without this additional funding source, participants would not have had enough resources to buy a home in today's market.

The Charles County Department of Community Services Housing and Community Development Division has successfully enrolled two participants in Charles County's Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program. One lived in Charles County for over a decade and had been a renter for more than 34 years when she was handed the keys to her new home in 2006. "Owning a home, I don't have to worry about rent increases anymore", she said. The other participant, also a long-time renter explained how owning a home has "boosted" her self-esteem.
About the Housing & Community Development Division

The Charles County Department of Community Services' Housing & Community Development Division administers, provides, and supports a variety of housing programs aimed at assisting low- and moderate-income families, including elderly and handicapped persons, to realize safe and sanitary housing conditions. The programs provide assistance in various areas including subsidized rental payments for families in need of rental assistance and low-interest rehabilitation loans for homeowners. Additionally, the Housing & Community Development Division provides support to the Charles County Housing Commission, the board responsible for housing activities in the County, including promoting neighborhood revitalization and fair and affordable housing in the County. Many Housing & Community Development programs are funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

For more information on this program or others offered by the Department of Community Services, visit our website at www.charlescounty.com/cs, or call the Department of Community Services at 301-934-9305 or 301-870-3388. Those citizens with special needs please contact the Maryland Relay Service at 711, or Relay Service TDD: 800-735-2258.