In this issue:
- Affordable Connectivity Program
- AAOC Certified Rental Housing Provider Education Program
Affordable Connectivity Program
We are excited to share with you a new federal subsidy program that can help your renters pay for their internet service. The Affordable Connectivity Program, accepted by many Internet Service Providers (ISPs), gives households $30 a month to cover the cost of internet service. Additionally, eligible households who register with participating ISPs may receive a one-time subsidy of $100 for computer devices. The Affordably Connectivity Program is a $14.2 billion program made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Public Housing and Section 8 residents are eligible for ACP funding based on their receiving housing assistance, and the ACP subsidy is not considered income for the purpose of determining program eligibility or household rent. To date, public housing residents are under-enrolled in the ACP program. We encourage you to inform your residents of this subsidy as it would support of enable their internet connectivity at a free or reduced cost.
We hope you will make use of this resource to help your residents connect to this valuable benefit. If your residents have any questions, they may reach out to connecthome@hud.gov.
AAOC Certified Rental Housing Provider Program
The Apartment Association of Orange County (AAOC) is offering an 11-week training certification. This 11-week comprehensive training course is perfect for both new and experienced rental-housing providers. If you are an Apartment Owner, Resident Manager, Regional Property Supervisor, or Operations Team Member, this class is for you! AAOC instructors are industry leaders and seasoned professionals who will equip you with the knowledge and tools that will help you grow and thrive. Course topics include:
- Residential property management
- Property marketing analysis & strategies
- Property maintenance
- Leasing techniques & renting to qualified residents
- Legal issues affecting landlords & tenants
- Human resources
- Fair housing & government standards
- Employee development
- Financial management & budgeting
- Liability, emergency & crime management
- Insuring & protecting your community
Rent increase submissions
The HAP contract requires all rent increase requests to be issued in writing to the tenant with a copy to the Housing Authority at least 60 days prior to the effective date. To streamline the process SAHA created an email account dedicated to only rent increase requests. To ensure that your rent increase request is processed timely and correctly, please email all of your rent increase requests to SAHArentincrease@santa-ana.org.
Vacancy listings
We have many new voucher holders searching for a vacant unit with our Emergency Housing Vouchers, Mainstream Vouchers and HUD-VASH Vouchers. If you currently have a vacancy or you are expecting to have a vacancy in the near future, we encourage you to list your vacant units with us at www.affordablehousing.com. You may also consider signing up for our region’s landlord incentive program, Welcome Home OC. The website for more information is www.unitedtoendhomelessness.org/welcomehome.
Housing Plus Program
Our assisted-families can voluntarily participate in a program called the Housing Plus Program. The Housing Plus Program is a HUD program to increase their earned income and reduce their dependency on welfare assistance and rental subsidies. We work in collaboration with the Santa Ana WORK Center and a Program Coordinating Committee (PCC) to provide coaching, guidance, and case management to Housing Plus Program participants. Our goal is that all of our non-elderly, non-disabled families voluntarily join our Housing Plus Program and use our housing assistance as a platform to attain self-sufficiency and independence from our housing assistance.
Listing your vacant units with us has never been easier!
Our agency uses a service called www.affordablehousing.com
Affordablehousing.com is the largest affordable housing listing service in the nation. It provides a central location where voucher holders can search for available units where the landlord is willing to screen the voucher holder for tenancy. It only takes a couple of minutes to post a free listing and you will get leads sent directly to your inbox.
To list your units, simply go to www.affordablehousing.com. By listing your units on www.affordablehousing.com, this does not obligate you to rent to one of our voucher holders. You are simply expanding your marketing to ensure you are able to find the most qualified tenant possible for your unit(s).
Apartment Association of Orange County
Membership in the Apartment Association of Orange County opens doors of opportunity as you seen to broaden your knowledge of the industry and maximize your potential as an industry professional. You will receive professional assistance that will help you achieve your professional goals.
You can own or manage a single unit or thousands of units – AAOC offers something for everybody!
AAOC will provide you with the tools you need to be an even more successful rental housing owner, some of which include:
- Access to nationwide credit, eviction, and criminal background checks
- Counseling assistance for your rental housing questions and concerns
- Access to a full collection of legal and operational forms
- Educational seminars & certified property management courses
- Protection of your rental property rights through legislative advocacy
- Membership with the National Apartment Association (NAA)
- Annual subscription to AAOC’s apartment news magazine & NAA’s units magazine