The Department of Human Services (DHS) can help an individual or family who gets Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) make their rental payment. This voluntary program is offered to everyone living in public housing. The program reduces evictions and homelessness of cash recipients by helping them pay their rent to their PHAs on time. The rent payments go directly to a Public Housing Authority (PHA) in the Voluntary Vendor Payment (VVP) Program. Each PHA in the program is a vendor.
When a cash recipient tenant signs a lease with a PHA, they may choose to accept or turn down the VVP program.
The program requires a signed agreement between DHS and each PHA receiving direct payments. To be included in the program, a PHA must send a written request to the Deputy Secretary for Income Maintenance.
The VVP Program works like this:
One-half of a tenant’s monthly rent is taken out of their semi-monthly public assistance benefit. For example, if the person gets $600 a month in assistance and the person’s rent is $200 a month, $100 is held back from each semi-monthly assistance benefit. The tenant gets $200 twice a month, for a total of $400.
Once a month, DHS sends a check to each PHA for rent for the month. The check includes rent payments for all of the PHA’s cash recipient tenants in the program. The PHA gets a statement listing the amount paid for each tenant (see 940.4 Payment Report to Vendors). Each tenant gets a statement showing that the rent was paid.
Revised October 18, 2024, replacing July 30, 2013