Hartford native Edna Vinters bought her house nine years ago, at 73 years old. Vinters was a Section 8 housing voucher recipient for years, but found out from a local housing group that she could put her Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) toward mortgage payments.
“I went to those programs, and I went to school, and I learned how to save money, and I studied, and everything was so fine,” Vinters said. “When I got that call saying that you can go look for a house, that was the happiest day of my life.”
Vinters, who is now 82 years old, is adapting her home so she can remain there as she ages.
“I'm investing in this house,” Vinters said. “I even got to walk-in tub now, just in case, because I don't want to have to go nowhere, so I can stay in my own house.”
The ability to use housing vouchers for mortgage payments isn’t new, but the city of Hartford is launching a program that would provide the background to enable residents to make the shift.
The pilot program provides residents with financial literacy courses and guidance on ways to save and improve credit, according to Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam.
“While our pilot is the first to create wraparound services and savings support, others have been pioneers in using housing choice vouchers to purchase a home,” Arulampalam said.
As of this month, recipients of Housing Choice Vouchers through Hartford Housing Authority can inquire about the pilot homeownership program.
Their housing voucher can be put toward mortgage payments rather than apartment rent.
“For so long, federal housing assistance has been viewed as a safety net, and today we are transforming that into a hand up and a staircase to generational wealth creation for all of our residents,” Arulampalam said.
Nearly 3,000 Hartford families rely on Housing Choice Vouchers from the city, whose Section 8 program is run by Imagineers, LLC.
Participants would still need to have the credit to qualify for a mortgage and funds for a downpayment, according to Hartford’s Director of Housing Jonathan Cabral.
“Once they search for a house, and the house passes an inspection and they get a loan from a participating lender, then they can then purchase a home,” Cabral said.
But, the city would help recipients get to a place where they can afford a house, with financial literacy courses and advice on ways to improve credit.
“They would still have to go through the process, just like anyone else, but the difference is, the voucher would help pay for the portion of their mortgage,” Cabral said.
