The Housing Choice Voucher Program allows very low-income families to lease or purchase safe, decent, and affordable privately owned housing. This program offers tenant-based vouchers, projects-based vouchers, and home ownership vouchers.

Family Self-Sufficiency Program helps low-income families become independent of welfare assistance by assisting them with acquiring the skills necessary to become self-sufficient. The participating family voluntarily agrees to take the necessary steps to improve their education and/or employment for the family and community's betterment over a five-year contract term. ACHA agrees to offer supportive services throughout the contract term, and helps ensures the family has reliable transportation, affordable childcare, adequate nutrition, parenting skills, etc. for sustaining a self-sufficient lifestyle. As incentive for each increase in the family's earned income, a credit is deposited into an interest bearing escrow savings account, which is payable to the family upon contract completion. Over the past eight years, ACHA has helped nineteen families successfully achieve self-sufficiency and the program is quickly expanding to its fullest potential.

Tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher Program ACHA issues an eligible family a voucher increasing affordability of housing and the family selects a unit of its choice. Families must apply and meet certain income requirements to be eligible (i.e. families with incomes below 50% of area median income). The eligible family is then responsible to find a unit meeting housing requirements, and ACHA executes a contract with the property owner. If the family moves out of the unit, the contract with the owner ends and the family can move to another unit with continued assistance.

Project-based Voucher Program; ACHA enters into an assistance contract with the owner for specified units and for a specified term. ACHA refers families from its waiting list to the project owner to fill vacancies. Owners select families for occupancy of a particular unit after screening each family. ACHA pays the owner the difference between 30 percent of family income and the gross rent for the unit.

Home ownership Vouchers assist first-time homeowners with their monthly home ownership expenses. The home must pass an initial housing quality standard inspection before ACHA may approve the purchase by the family. By working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development through a subsidized mortgage program, ACHA can enable even extremely low applicants to qualify for home ownership. Applicants may buy an existing home or we will assist them in finding land and building a new home. Since the program's inception in 2002, six families have successfully utilized the HCV home ownership program to acquire homes.

If the applicant qualifies, Pennsylvania Interfaith Community Program, Incorporated, formerly Adams County Interfaith Housing Corporation (ACIHC), in partnership with the Authority, will help determine their mortgage readiness through USDA. When USDA approves a mortgage loan, they will issue a Certificate of Eligibility and the applicant can, with the help of PICPI, start looking for a home. Either they may buy an existing home or we will assist them in finding land and building a new home. As with all our home ownership programs, there is always some type of closing cost and/or down payment assistance available.

Families must meet the following requirements:

1) First-time homeowner or cooperative member.

2) A family that has not owned or had ownership interest in the past three years.

3) Minimum income requirement. The qualified monthly income of the family who will own the home must not be less than the Federal minimum hourly wage multiplied by 2,000 hours (currently $10,300), except in the case of an elderly household or a family with disabled person.

4) Employment requirement. One or more adults in the family who will own the home is currently employed on a full-time basis and has been continuously employed on a full-time basis for at least one year before commencement of home ownership assistance (except in the case of the elderly and families with a disabled person).

5) Not owning a home for the past three years.

6) Be willing to utilize rental voucher to purchase a home in Adams County.

7) Become enrolled in the Family Self-sufficiency (FSS) Program and in compliance with the FSS contract or have successfully completed the FSS program.

8) Home ownership counseling. The family must attend and satisfactorily complete the Authority's pre-assistance home ownership and housing counseling program.

9) Additional PHA eligibility requirements. The family meets any other initial eligibility requirements set by ACHA.

Monthly home ownership expenses include:

1) Mortgage principal and interest.

2) Mortgage insurance premium.

3) Real estate taxes and homeowner insurance.

4) PHA allowance for utilities.

5) PHA allowance for routine maintenance costs.

6) PHA allowance for major repairs and replacements.

7) Principal and interest on debt to finance major repairs and replacements for the home.

8) Principal and interest on debt to finance costs to make the home accessible for a family member with disabilities if the PHA determines it is needed as a reasonable accommodation.

Regulations that cover this program are found in 24 CFR Part 982.