Rental Assistance Programs

Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
Project Based Assistance (PBA)
Family Self Sufficiency Program
Family Unification Program
Bridges
Senior Housing Opportunities Program
Shelter Plus Care

Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (also known as Section 8) utilizes the existing private rental market in Dakota County to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing opportunities for low-income families, elderly, handicapped and disabled persons at an affordable cost. The CDA administers this federal program for all of Dakota County except South St. Paul (the South St. Paul HRA administers the program for that city). The CDA assists over 2,200 families and individuals through this program.

Program participants pay a minimum of 30% of their monthly adjusted income toward rent (and may not pay more than 40% of monthly adjusted income when initially leasing a unit with voucher assistance). The program provides rental assistance which is the difference between the participants rent portion and the contract rent. The rent assistance is paid directly to the property owner on the first of each month.

Program participants choose a rental unit from the private rental market and the property owner must be willing to accept voucher-assisted tenants. All assisted rental units must pass an annual inspection based on federally established Housing Quality Standards.

The Dakota County CDA's Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is closed.

Program Income Limits

Voucher Program Payment Standards (as of October 1, 2011)
The maximum assistance a household is eligible to receive is equal to the difference between 30% of a household’s monthly adjusted income and the applicable Voucher Payment Standard.

Region 1: Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville and Mendota Heights

Region 2: Farmington, Hastings, Rosemount and West St. Paul

Voucher Program Utility Allowance Schedule
(Effective April 1, 2012)

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Project Based Voucher (PBV) Program
Similar to the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the PBV Program provides low- and moderate-income households with monthly rental assistance. However, with PBV assistance, the subsidy stays with the unit - not the tenant. The CDA administers PBV contracts on 54 units in three privately owned rental properties in Dakota County including: Hidden Ponds, Apple Valley; Grande Market Place, Burnsville; and Cedar Villas Townhomes, Eagan.

Eligible households pay 30% of their adjusted monthly income towards rent and the PBV Program pays the difference between the household’s rent portion and the contract rent.

Families must qualify for a 2 bedroom unit (based on household size and composition). The units at Grande Market Place are reserved for current MFIP recipients and for families that have received MFIP within the last 24 months.

The Cedar Villas and Hidden Ponds Project Based Voucher waiting lists are closed.

The Grande Market Place Project Based Voucher waiting list will be opening on January 18, 2012. For more information on how to apply for the Grande Market Place waiting list click here.

Family Self Sufficiency Program
The Family Self-Sufficiency Program was established by the CDA to promote economic self-sufficiency among participating families. This program is aimed at coordinating and providing private and public sector support services necessary to enable larger families to achieve self-sufficiency goals. The CDA offers this program to participants of the Housing Choice Voucher Program as an opportunity to build an escrow savings account to be used by the family for a downpayment for a home, reliable transportation, repayment of student loans, etc.

Family Self Sufficiency Brochure

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Family Unification Program
The Family Unification Program (FUP) is designed to increase the housing resources of child welfare families to prevent the separation of children from their parents because of inadequate housing, to ease the transition to adulthood for youth aging out of foster care, and to facilitate and expedite access to housing and supportive services through agency collaboration. The CDA has 100 FUP vouchers that will allow families to reunite with children who are otherwise unable to leave foster care because of the inability to afford decent affordable housing.

Dakota County Social Services will screen and refer potential FUP participants to the Dakota County CDA as well as provide supportive services to participating families and youth, services to help assisted families achieve stability and a measure of security.

Bridges
Bridges serves persons with chronic and persistent mental illness. The CDA administers the housing subsidy portion of this program which is grant funded by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The Dakota County Social Services Department coordinates the support services for the clients. Participants contribute 30% of their income toward rent and the grant subsidizes the remainder. This program provides a temporary subsidy that “bridges” the gap between homelessness, treatment centers, institutional facilities and permanent affordable housing.

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Senior Housing Opportunities Program
The Senior Housing Opportunities Program is a locally funded rent assistance program for seniors age 55+ living in Dakota County.  

Income Limits are $29,400 for one person and $33,600 for two people. Seniors age 55 and up who have applied for the Housing Choice Voucher Program are eligible to recieve assistance through the Senior Housing Opportunities Program.

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Shelter Plus Care
Shelter Plus Care provides rent assistance, in connection with supportive services, to homeless persons with disabilities. The program is a collaborative effort with the Dakota County Community Services Division. The supportive services provided by Community Services fulfill a dollar-for-dollar match requirement for the HUD grant. The CDA assists 18 participants through this program.

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