When did the Housing Authority come into being?
The St. Joseph Housing Authority (SJHA) was incorporated in 1964 as the public authority to provide safe and sanitary affordable housing. The SJHA provides housing for low and moderate-income households who are otherwise unable to obtain adequate housing. We are governed by a Mayor selected Board of Commissioners. All funding is derived from SJHA tenant rent payments and federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidies.
The Housing Authority was established for the purpose of providing decent cost-effective housing in St. Joseph. We currently own 170 conventional housing units, which range from two (2) bedrooms to four (4) bedrooms. We administer 1009 Housing Choice (Section 8) Vouchers.
Our Mission
Our Mission: is to assist low-income families with safe, decent and affordable housing opportunities as they strive to achieve self-sufficiency and improve the quality of their lives. The Housing Authority is committed to operating in an efficient, ethical and professional manner. The Housing Authority will create and maintain partnerships with its clients and appropriate community agencies in order to accomplish this mission.
Success panel
We also offer Section 8 rental assistance to qualified applicants. The applicant, when eligible, receives a housing choice voucher for rental property located anywhere inside the city limits. The tenant finds a suitable unit, a landlord who is willing to accept rental assistance, and then contacts us. The property belongs to independent landlords, not the PHA. There are Payment Standards set by the Federal Government for each locality nationally.
The Home Choice Voucher program (previously known as “Section 8”) is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. It is the responsibility of a family to find a unit that meets their needs. If the family finds a unit that meets the housing quality standards, the rent is reasonable, and the unit meets other program requirements, the Housing Authority executes a HAP contract with the property owner. This contract authorizes the Authority to make subsidy payments on behalf of the family. If the family moves out of the unit, the contract with the owner ends and the family can move with continued assistance to another unit. Public (low-income) housing was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
Public (low-income) housing is limited to low-income families and individuals. SJHA determines eligibility based on:
1. Annual gross income
2. U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status.
If a family is eligible, SJHA will check criminal background and references to ensure that the family will be a good tenant. The Authority may deny admission to any applicant who may be expected to have a detrimental effect on other tenants or on the community’s environment.