5-minute read
Lakeland Housing Authority (LHA) will convert its 257 public housing apartments to Project-based Section 8 housing, if approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Under this program, a federal subsidy would attach to each unit, as opposed to tenant-based Section 8, where a family receives a housing choice voucher and looks for a private landlord willing to accept it.
Project-based Section 8 pays more money per unit without increasing the portion renters pay or burdening residents with a reapplication process, according to Ben Stevenson, president of LHA.
What would change for tenants?
Stevenson said very little would change immediately for people who already live in the affected apartments. Their rights are protected under HUD regulations, and they would not have to reapply simply because their apartments convert.
“When you convert units to Section 8, the tenant portion of the rent stays the same,” Stevenson said. “They never pay more than 30% of their income towards the rent, so there’s no change in the rent burden for the tenants.”
However, the income limits can differ. Public housing generally accepts households earning up to 80% of the area median income, while Section 8 usually has a 50% limit. Current residents would not have to qualify again, but future applicants could face stricter limits.
Naquaisha Coward, who has previously spoken out about issues with LHA under Stevenson’s leadership, cautioned commissioners that Section 8 can give landlords an incentive to charge as much as the program will allow.
Coward said an apartment near 10th Street that otherwise rented for $1,000 under tax credit rules was priced at $1,500 when she used a Section 8 voucher. The higher rent became a serious burden, she said, when her earnings rose and the subsidy covered less of the bill.
“It’s good for them, but it’s hard for those who are actually trying to work and provide for their families,” said Coward, 35, a mother of four.
Why make the switch?
Stevenson presented a hypothetical apartment renting for $1,000 a month. Under public housing, a tenant might pay $100 and LHA might receive another $100 in federal aid. Under Section 8, the tenant would still pay $100, while the federal subsidy could rise to $900.
He said the additional funds would allow LHA to make needed repairs and redevelop existing properties.
LHA plans to demolish the 40-unit Carrington Place complex at 1401 Kettles Ave. and replace it with Dakota Place Apartments, a three-story development with about 100 affordable apartments for seniors.
At Renaissance at Washington Ridge, LHA is exploring the rehabilitation of some apartments, the demolition of others, and new construction.
LHA is also moving forward with other new affordable-housing developments, including Twin Lakes Estates III and proposed complexes on 10th Street and Combee Road.
LHA could also leverage the funds to get loans, tax credits, and grants.
Potential complications
One potential complication is that LHA’s existing Section 8 voucher program is already under a HUD shortfall-correction plan.
The LHA board approved steps in June to address a possible funding shortage, including a revised prevention plan and potential changes to payment standards. The program currently assists 1,529 families.
It is unclear whether that shortfall could affect the new project-based subsidies.
Another lingering question involves how to combine separate waiting lists. Stevenson said LHA does not currently combine the public housing and Section 8 waiting lists, but they would after the conversion.
“If you merge the list, we’ll go by where that person is on their place in line, meaning we’ll go to that date that they signed up for public housing,” Stevenson said. “So a new applicant would not automatically jump them. They would not lose their place in line.”
LHA’s online application page says the Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is closed “until further notice .” That list is for portable vouchers used with participating private landlords — not necessarily for apartments owned by LHA.
When LHA briefly opened its public housing and Section 8 lists in 2023, 7,200 households applied for 1,525 available vouchers. “All of our properties stay at 99% occupancy on average,” Stevenson said.
Commissioners back plan despite broader concerns
The proposal comes as commissioners and residents have raised broader concerns about LHA’s transparency, waiting lists, and board oversight. Stevenson has denied wrongdoing and said the agency has repeatedly passed federal financial and compliance audits.
“Are we making everyone happy? No, we’re not,” he said. “Because I think anytime you run a program that size, you’re always going to have someone who complains.”
Mayor Sara Roberts McCarley said clean audits do not answer every concern.
“Even with us at the City of Lakeland, we have clean audits, but that doesn’t always tell us how our workflow is happening and how our systems internally are working,” she said.
Commissioner Guy LaLonde Jr. asked why his earlier request for an independent, third-party forensic audit was never presented to LHA’s board.
“Your board provides oversight to you — not you to your board, sir,” LaLonde told Stevenson.
“No, I’m not supposed to bring everything to my board,” Stevenson replied. “That’s your opinion, sir.”
City Community and Economic Development Director Brian Rewis stressed that City Hall does not supervise the agency, saying, “Oversight is definitely too strong a descriptor for our relationship with the Housing Authority.”
While the city does not have the power to approve the plan, commissioners unanimously agreed on July 20 to send a letter of support for the conversions. The final decision rests with HUD.
“It’s done all over the country,” Stevenson said of the conversions at the commission meeting. “Tampa Housing Authority’s done it, Orlando Housing Authority’s done it, Palm Beach, Miami, Jacksonville. And it’s just our turn.”
latest news
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
