Rawlins City Council Greenlights Contract with Cheyenne Housing Authority

In a meeting held on Tuesday, Jan. 16, the Rawlins City Council gave their approval to a local agent administrative contract with the Cheyenne Housing Authority. The city of Rawlins has partnered with the Cheyenne Housing Authority (CHA) to provide Section 8 Housing assistance to community members.

According to the agenda, the City of Rawlins is responsible for administering services on behalf of the Cheyenne Housing Authority. The Cheyenne Housing Authority is committed to offering the Section 8 Rentals Certificate Program, which aims to provide affordable housing options to our residents with very low incomes. City staff conducts thorough inspections of the homes being considered for lease to ensure they meet the minimum quality standards established by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In addition, Rawlins is given a “very minimal” administrative fee to assist with the expenses of managing the intake process. As of now, there are 13 individuals enrolled in the program. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) oversees a number of assistance programs under Section 8.

Over 1.4 million households in the United States receive assistance through the Section 8 Voucher and Certificate program. This program helps by covering the difference between what these households can afford and the cost of rent, providing support to both tenants and landlords.

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The city of Rawlins is not receiving full reimbursement for the staff time dedicated to administering the housing program. This raises concerns about the financial imbalance and the need for community servers to justify and offset this imbalance, considering the health and safety benefits provided by the program. City staff expresses their support for the continuation of this crucial program.

According to the local agent administrative contract with CHA, it has been revealed that the housing authority has entered into an annual contributions contract (ACC) with HUD. This contract covers the provision of housing assistance payments and other eligible costs under the program. The contract is set to expire on January 31, 2025.

According to the contract, the compensation for the contractor is also specified:

CHA will provide compensation to the contractor for each unit covered by a HAP contract within the contractor’s jurisdiction on a monthly basis, starting on the first day of each month. The monthly fee for each unit under a HAP Contract will be $8.00, to be paid 30 days in arrears on the first day of the previous month.

The inclusion of administrative fees aligns with the federal mandate that fees can only be paid for units covered by a HAP Contract at the start of each month. CHA reserves the authority to subtract or retain from the contractor’s payment any amounts owed to CHA due to various reasons such as overpayment, fraud, theft, dishonesty, error, breach of contract, failure to perform adequately under this agreement, and/or the enforcement of the indemnification terms stated in this contract.