MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Housing Authority hosted a housing fair Wednesday, June 1, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Benjamin L. Hooks Library Conference Center.
The MHA said hundreds of landlords would be ready to give families with housing vouchers a house on the spot. But this event was not for the general public. It was for people who have been on the 2017 housing waitlist and were just awarded vouchers.
This event was also for landlords who had never registered their property for the housing choice voucher program.
ABC24 News saw many people lining up at the library door at 5 a.m. Wednesday, waiting for the doors to open, some saying that they were waiting in line for a voucher.
The Memphis Housing Authority Director, Cheiktha Dowers, said they were not giving out free vouchers and the event was not for people who are in the city's public housing program.
Because the housing market is stretched thin, MHA is offering owners an incentive if they list their property as Section 8. Landlords who showed up to the event could get up to $700 for every unit.
They had an opportunity to submit a Request for Tenancy Approval for new units and lease and execute a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) for the new unit with the HCV program.
Owners that lease a new unit to a regular voucher holder receive $500. Owners that lease a new unit to a Special Purpose Voucher holder or a regular voucher in an Opportunity area receive $700.
If you are a renter who applied for the 2022 housing voucher program in March, Dowers said they will be notifying those who were accepted or denied within the next two weeks.