To further the goals of the HOME Assistance Program, the City of Bellingham contracts with the Opportunity Council to offer Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) to homeless families with children, and to families on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) that do not qualify for Section 8 housing through the Federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program.
All households receiving TBRA are to be very low-income households which means households whose annual incomes do not exceed 50% of the median income of Whatcom County, as determined by HUD, with adjustments for smaller and larger households.
The amount of rent subsidies a household receives is determined using the Section 8 Voucher Program guidelines. The maximum subsidy is calculated by subtracting 30% of the participant's monthly-adjusted income from a payment standard. The payment standard used in rent calculations are those issued by the Bellingham Housing Authority for the Section 8 Voucher Program, as updated on an annual basis.
The tenant pays the difference between the maximum subsidy and the gross rent for the unit. A minimum tenant payment to rent of 10% of their monthly gross income is required. Rents charged by landlords may not exceed rents charged for comparable unassisted units in Whatcom County.
When a family receiving HOME TBRA resides in a unit that was constructed or rehabilitated with HOME funds, the maximum rental assistance subsidy is the difference between the HOME rent for the unit and 30% of the family's adjusted monthly income. Tenants must use HOME TBRA in residential rental units that meet Section 8 Housing Quality Standards.
For more information about the Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program contact the Opportunity Council's Community Services Division, or the City's Community Development Division.
