HCV Program Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers (HACFM). The HACFM receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program. A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program. This unit may include the family's present residence if it meets program requirements. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety as determined by the HACFM. The rent must be verified by HACFM as reasonable. The family cannot pay more than 40% of their adjusted income during the first year of the lease. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord/owner directly by the HACFM via direct deposit on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.

Eligibility:

Eligibility for a housing voucher is determined by the HACFM based on the total annual gross income and family size. Participation in this program is limited to US citizens and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status as defined by HUD. In general, the family's income may not exceed 50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which the family chooses to live. By law, the HACFM must provide 75 percent of its vouchers to applicants whose incomes do not exceed 30 percent of the area median income (Federal extremely-low category). Median income levels are published by HUD and vary by location. See HACFM income limits.