The Housing Authority takes action to secure increases in rent payments on two fronts.

Renters who qualify for federal housing vouchers because they are considered very low-income, elderly or disabled, understand the frustrating conundrum of HUD fair-market rent calculations versus real-world rents. This year, the HUD two-bedroom fair market rent for Monterey County is $1,967. A rent survey commissioned earlier this year by the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey found that the rent of a two-bedroom unit is actually $2,574.

“Voucher families find they have an incredibly difficult time finding apartments to rent,” says Tory Gunsolley, HACM’s interim executive director. Gunsolley and his staff submitted results of the rent survey to HUD this summer and the federal agency responded by increasing the county’s 2023 fair market rent to $2,675, a 36-percent increase – the highest increase in the country, per HUD. That means housing vouchers will go further in Monterey County.

Ahead of the HUD announcement, HACM officials went a step further by adjusting the agency’s payment standards for tenants, which means tenants will pay less to make up the difference between what landlords receive from the government. Gunsolley says there was “a big mismatch” between the previous HACM payment standards – which vary by community – and current rents. The adjustment started going into effect on Sept. 1 and will continue through October.

Approximately 600 voucher households will feel the immediate benefit of having to pay less for rent, bringing some back within the 30-percent threshold for housing costs compared to income.

How much the overall changes will help renters remains to be seen, Gunsolley says. HACM officials are pushing to issue 100 vouchers by Sept. 30. Further adjustments may come if needed.

Those who are potentially eligible must have a household income that does not exceed 50 percent of the county’s median income, which in Monterey County is $56,850 for a family of four.