Warsaw Housing Authority received approval six weeks ago to issue Housing Choice Vouchers to as many families as needed for housing outside Warsaw city limits.
A Housing Choice Voucher is designed to assist families below 50 percent area median income to have assistance toward rent and utilities. The family pays 30 percent of its monthly income and the Housing Choice Voucher pays for the remainder.The Kosciusko County vouchers are under a time limit and must be leased in units before Dec. 1.
There have been 96 families on a waiting list that had requested assistance in the last 12 months, according to Pam Kennedy, WHA executive director.
Out of more than 100 families, 44 have scheduled and completed interviews for the housing vouchers. Only six of those families have found a place to rent to use their voucher outside the Warsaw city limits.
WHA employees have been working extra hours the past six weeks to conduct interviews and assist families in getting assistance for safe and affordable housing.
"It is unbelievable to us that families are not coming forward to seek these vouchers," Kennedy said.
"Nobody needs to be homeless this winter, but need to follow through with these vouchers."
She said there are 371 families on the Warsaw Housing Choice Voucher wait list, and all but a handful prefer to stay on the Warsaw waiting list because they do not want to live outside the Warsaw city limits.
Kennedy said many of the families have been on the waitlist for close to two years.
Kennedy said WHA is asking anyone in need of housing to contact its office to fill out a pre-application and for landlords in Kosciusko County to contact WHA if they have vacant housing units.
People who need housing assistance or have vacant rental units can call WHA at 574-269-7641 or visit the office at 827 S. Union St. Suite 230, Warsaw.
