Public Housing Programs in Little Rock, AR

• Local Housing Authority manages Public Housing. Individuals on the Public Housing Program are assigned a unit owned and operated by the local authority.
• The Section 8 Voucher Program allows recipients to locate affordable housing across the city.  

Yes, but MHA has established guidelines to determine the eligibility of applicants who may have a previous criminal record.

Yes, but Applicants who owe money to MHA or any other housing authority will not be admitted to the program until their debt is paid in full.

No. Applicants are not required to have children to be admitted to the program. 

HUD establishes income limits and revises them annually to ensure that federal rental assistance is provided only to low-income families (80% of the median income). The income limits are based on the median income of the geographic area for which the limit is established and are adjusted for family size.  

Yes, an applicant may apply for any program with an open waitlist. 

Public Housing Assistance is not transferable between cities or states. 

Yes.

Yes, but Applicants who have not provided SSNs may remain on the waiting list and will not be deemed eligible until all household members applying for assistance, including those under the age of 6 (six), have submitted valid SSNs.  

Generally, two (2) people are expected to share a bedroom. However, the gender and age of the family members are taken into consideration when determining the required bedroom size. 

The time it takes to receive an offer letter varies from site to site.

The Total Tenant Payment (TTP) is calculated using the following formula: The greater of 30% of the monthly Adjusted Income or 10% of the monthly Annual Income, but never less than the Minimum Rent ($50.00).

This program assists low-income families in affording decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by the Metropolitan Housing Alliance (MHA), which receives federal funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program.

The HCV Program allows families to utilize rental vouchers to find their units and live in any neighborhood they wish. A portion of the rent (based on the family’s income and composition) is paid to the landlord by MHA. The family pays the difference between the rent charged by the landlord and the amount paid by MHA.

MHA determines eligibility for a housing voucher based on the annual gross income and family size. Participation in this program is limited to US citizens and specified categories of non-citizens with eligible immigration status as defined by HUD. The family’s income may not exceed 80% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area where the family chooses to live.

HUD publishes median income levels that vary by location. See MHA income limits. Families must meet additional eligibility criteria specified in MHA’s Administrative Plan.
View HCV Income Limits

The Housing Authority can only accept applications for waitlists that we have advertised as open. MHA shall advertise in local newspapers and post notices on its website when the waitlist opens and closes. When the waitlist is open, applications are accepted online. The Housing Choice Voucher program’s waitlist is closed, and applications are not accepted.

Applicants are placed on a waitlist according to the date and time of receiving the application. Local preferences for which they may be eligible will impact waitlist placement. All applications are date and time-stamped when received. The waitlist number is not firm, as it is updated periodically.

MHA schedules families from the waiting list for eligibility screenings when a position is open in the program. MHA is limited to the amount of funds and vouchers that it is allowed to administer.

Please ensure you notify our agency in writing of all changes to employment and disability status, as well as a change of address. No changes are accepted over the phone. If MHA sends you correspondence that is returned due to an incorrect address, or if you have moved and failed to provide our agency with a written updated address, your application will be withdrawn. Failure to respond to any correspondence for information or attend scheduled meetings will also result in the withdrawal of your application.

The primary design intent was to create a harmonious balance between innovative “green” design strategies and a building size and massing that aligns with the single-family character of the surrounding neighborhood. This development features twenty duplex-style buildings that incorporate shared walkways, entrances, rainwater cisterns, and kitchen/rain gardens.

The shed-type roofing design mirrors that of nearby single-family homes and offers the added benefit of large south-facing slopes, ideal for solar collector arrays. By consistently applying principles of solar orientation, each living and kitchen space in the units benefits from prolonged southern exposure, allowing for the advantageous winter sunlight.

MHA has integrated several key sustainable design strategies into both the site and building design to fulfill the “green,” energy-efficient objectives of the development. These strategies include:

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) aims to revitalize abandoned and foreclosed homes and residential properties, facilitating their return to productive use or redeployment for redevelopment purposes. NSP offers five eligible uses of funds: establishing financing mechanisms for purchasing foreclosed homes; purchasing and rehabilitating abandoned or foreclosed homes; land banking for foreclosed properties; demolishing blighted structures; and redeveloping vacant or demolished land.

NSP was initially launched through the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA). Under the HERA framework, known as NSP1, $3.92 billion was allocated for emergency assistance to states and local governments. The subsequent Recovery Act introduced an additional $2 billion in NSP funding (NSP2), implementing several critical changes to the program. Firstly, the Recovery Act established NSP2 as a competitive program rather than a formula-based distribution.

Additionally, NSP2 funding became available to nonprofit organizations, states, and local governments. NSP functions as a component of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, with fundamental CDBG requirements governing its operation. Furthermore, the Recovery Act earmarked $50 million of the $2 billion for NSP technical assistance (NSP TA) to enhance the capabilities of NSP1 and NSP2 communities, ensuring the effective and compliant execution of high-performing neighborhood stabilization programs.

 MHA has received preliminary approval to participate in a new special program authorized by the United States Congress and administered by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), known as the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.

RAD is a new federal program designed to address the demanding capital improvement and renovation funding requirements for public housing across the United States. It is a voluntary program of HUD. RAD seeks to preserve public housing by providing Public Housing Agencies (PHAs), such as the Housing Authority of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, D/B/A Metropolitan Housing Alliance (MHA), with access to a more stable funding mechanism necessary to make needed improvements and meet ongoing maintenance requirements at all qualifying public housing properties. 

Public housing units across the country need more than $26 billion in repairs. HUD refers to these repair costs as capital needs. RAD provides PHAs like MHA with a stable funding source for capital improvement requirements not subject to annual Congressional Budget Allocations.

Through the RAD program, MHA will renovate our inventory. Direct construction efforts and significant improvements to our neighborhood communities will result in RAD, which represents a significant economic opportunity for our entire community. 

The RAD conversion is transparent for the individual resident. The residents will see little difference in their respective financial requirements (rent and utilities). MHA will receive its government funding in the form of a Property-Based Voucher (PBV). 

No. In the case of MHA, only the total number of public housing units within our inventory will be converted to RAD.

• Newly renovated units will continue to serve as affordable housing. 
• Except in rare cases (over/under housing), residents will see no difference in their financial responsibilities under RAD.
• Requalification or rescreening will not be required as part of the conversion.  
• LRHA will provide in-depth communications to all residents during this conversion. 

The complete conversion and rehabilitation of all MHA public housing properties is anticipated to be complete by January 2020.

This is a conversion to project-based rental assistance, which is different than the conventional tenant-based HCV program.

MHA will conduct a series of meetings and communication efforts to provide all residents with detailed information regarding their specific circumstances.

MHA will review all property needs subject to budgetary constraints. The primary focus of renovation is on building interiors and energy efficiency.

Your rent contribution will most likely be the same as it was under public housing—generally no more than 30% of your household’s adjusted gross income. No rent increases will result from a RAD conversion.