Mississippi Regional Housing Authority No VI (MRHA6), one of eight regional authorities, created by state legislation, is charged with the responsibility of providing housing to low-income families. This is achieved, primarily by contracting with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Through several programs, the housing agency provides housing rental subsidies to qualified individuals. It currently is contracted for 5,021 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Federal regulations permit the PHA to allocate a maximum of 20% of these vouchers to project-based vouchers. This is especially critical to the success of housing programs receiving Tax Credits where guaranteed rental subsides strengthen the financial package. Mississippi Regional Housing Authority No VI (MRHA6) owns houses in seven of the nine counties served by the agency. There are only two counties where the agency does not own houses. The PHA does provide tenant-based vouchers in all nine counties. In three of the nine counties, in addition to tenant-based vouchers, the agency provides project-based rental assistance.
The PHA constantly pursues ways to better respond to the critical housing shortage: the shortage of affordable housing. Aging housing stocks, blight, substandard units, and chronic homelessness are problems that we seek to address.
To address the problem and reduced funding, the PHA will seek to convert its 136 units of public housing to project-based properties under the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. This conversion will affect properties located in five of the nine counties. This program will fund the substantial rehabilitation of all LIPH properties; extending the lifespan and improving the quality and appearance of the existing housing.
In those two counties where the agency does not own or manage affordable housing property, it will incentivize the development of new housing and/or the rehabilitation of existing housing by making available project-based vouchers, on a competitive basis, to qualified developers: for-profit and non-profit. The primary mission of Mississippi Regional Housing Authority No VI (MRHA6), at least for the foreseeable future, will remain the administration of Section 8 Tenant-based Voucher Program. While HUD and the Congress continue to review the effectiveness of Section 8 Tenant-based Voucher Program and will recommend changes, i.e., paperwork reduction, triennial evaluations, etc., the implementation of the program will remain virtually unchanged and will be the major source of funding for that mission. Therefore, as the agency seeks to expand into the arena of development, it must never lose sight of this critically important mission.