• Note: HCV Volunteers Needed to Serve on Resident Advisory Board. Details...

The Loudoun County Department of Family Services maintains an apartment and condominium guide for the general public, assists low-income residents with Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) rental/utility assistance, and provides rental eviction and foreclosure prevention assistance.

• Apartment Guide 
• Family Self-Sufficiency Program
• Family Self-Sufficiency Progress Report
• Housing Choice Voucher Wait List Status
• Landlord Packet
• Rental Unit Listings
• Housing Choice Voucher Assistance Estimator
• Virginia Residential Landlord & Tenant Handbook  
• Welfare to Work Progress Report

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides low-income families, elderly persons with disabilities, and persons with HIV and AIDS with rental housing at prices they can afford. These are rental assistance subsidies for eligible low-income families and handicapped or elderly persons. All types of housing are available (i.e., single family homes, duplexes, condominiums and apartments) providing they meet Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Housing Quality Standards.

At this time, applications for the Housing Choice Voucher waiting list are not being accepted.

Step-by-Step Program Operation:

• Housing Counselor conducts outreach to owners, property managers and families.

• Report any changes in address or family composition to Housing Services on any day.

• Must return annual application update (normally sent out in June of each year).

• If eligible based on Preliminary Application, the family and Housing Counselor will complete HUD verifications and other related forms once they have come to the top of the Waiting List.

• If you are on the waiting list, you may check your status and make changes online through our secure site.

• Family is issued a Voucher for Family Participation good for sixty days, and receives a Family Briefing from the Housing Counselor.

• Housing Counselor verifies income, family composition, medical and child care expenses and determines Total Tenant Payment (TTP).

• Family locates housing and submits required forms to Housing Counselor.

• Housing Counselor meets with owner of housing to explain the Program and completes an inspection of the unit.

• Housing Counselor approves the unit, the lease and determines rent reasonableness of a unit.

• Family and owner execute lease; Owner signs Housing Assistance Payments Contract.

• Housing Counselor completes all necessary paperwork and submits it to the Housing Services Director by the required deadline.

• Owner receives monthly rental payments from Loudoun County Housing Services and always a minimum family rent from the family, as applicable.

In addition to the Housing Choice Voucher Program, there is low-income housing for the elderly at the William Waters House in Sterling Park and Madison House in Leesburg. These are operated independently and information can be obtained by calling 703-406-0611 for William Waters and 703-777-5510 for Madison House. There may be waiting lists for one or both complexes.

Family Self-Sufficiency

Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) is a voluntary program that provides Housing Choice Voucher participants the opportunity to achieve economic independence over a five-year period. This is achieved through the close assistance of a case manager who supports, mentors and links up FSS families to public and private resources in the community.

The FSS Program gives families who have been struggling the opportunity to become economically independent. FSS is an innovative program designed to improve the quality of life for families caught in the cycle of poverty.

Families that participate in the FSS program gain skills that last a lifetime. This is a program that addresses the long-term needs of individuals living in poverty. Families have access to the supportive services they need to become self-sufficient, including:

• Employment Training
• Life Skills Classes
• Education
• Counseling
• Child Care
• Transportation
• Support Groups
• Financial Guidance
• Opportunity to save for home ownership through an escrow account

Each participating family must sign a Contract of Participation that spells out their responsibilities and specific services to be provided through the program. The contract is for five years.

An Action Plan is developed that documents the responsibilities the family must fulfill and sets specific, individual goals that the family works toward to become self-sufficient. The designated head of the household must participate in appropriate job training, attend school and/or be employed during the term of the contract.

At the end of the five years, in order to receive the monies held in an escrow savings account, the family must successfully complete their contract and withdraw from public assistance programs. Contact the Department of Family Services if you are a current subsidy recipient and you are interested in applying to the Family Self-Sufficiency Program.

HCV Volunteers Needed for Resident Advisory Board

HCV volunteers are needed for the "Resident Advisory Board," which is composed of Housing Choice Voucher family members, and advises the Department of Family Services on HCV planning and rules. Generally, the board meets only twice a year and has a voice as to how the HCV program is run in Loudoun County. Contact Stuart Shatz, HVC Division Manager, 703-737-8969.