News from the Hudson Housing Authority

At last night's meeting of the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, Jeffrey Dodson, HHA executive director, reported a few things of general interest. The first was that the payment standard for Section 8 housing vouchers in Hudson has been raised to 120 percent. The significance of this, as Dodson explained it, is that Hudson residents with Section 8 vouchers will have "more leeway is finding an apartment." 

Section 8 payment standards are based on fair market rent, and fair market rent is determined at the county level. For example, in 2023, the fair market rent in Columbia County for a one-bedroom apartment is $952. The increase in the Section 8 payment standard to 120 percent for Hudson means that a Hudson resident with a Section 8 voucher could rent a one-bedroom apartment whose total cost (rent and utilities) is as much as $1,142.40 a month. The tenant pays the portion of the rent that represents forty percent of their monthly income; the remainder is paid by HUD.

PhotobyGibson, 1973

In his report to the board, Dodson said that tenants were not responding to letters informing them that they were behind in their rent. Dodson urged tenants, "Don't wait four, five, six months." He said tenants should not be afraid to contact him if they were having trouble paying their rent. This seems to be a very sad state of affairs. It was only last May that The Spark of Hudson and Eutopia Foundation paid the back rent for all HHA tenants.

Dodson also told the board that HHA was revisiting its pet policy, and no new pets would be allowed in the building until further notice. He reminded the board that tenants needed to fill out the paperwork to get approval for a pet before they acquired the pet not after.

He also announced that responses to the RFQ (request for qualifications) for a public housing development partner were due on Friday, March 3. (The RFQ can be viewed here.) The scope of the anticipated project includes the demolition of Columbia Apartments (the low-rise) and Bliss Towers and new construction on the site, as well as possible new construction on three parcels HHA has an option to buy from Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA). According to the schedule set forth in the RFQ, a development partner will be selected by April 3.

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