How To Apply

The Caribou Housing Authority’s waiting list is – OPEN –

FAQ’s

Applying for a Voucher

When a family wishes to receive assistance under one of the voucher programs, the family must submit an application that provides the housing authority with the information need to be placed on the waiting list. When funding becomes available, the housing authority will select families from the waiting list in accordance with HUD requirements and the housing authority’s preferences.

To apply for a Housing Choice Voucher on-line you can visit the Maine Centralized Section 8 – Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List. Read the information for the wait list and follow the instructions. If you would prefer to receive an application to complete and submit you can email housing@cariboumaine.org and request an application and it will be emailed to you; or you can come to our office at 25 High Street, Caribou ME 04736 to pick one up. YOU ONLY APPLY ONCE. You may meet the preferences under several Housing Authorities.

Maine Centralized Waiting List Application

Online Application

Updating Your Application

Remember it is your responsibility to keep the Waiting List information current at all times.  All changes must be provided in writing.  If you fail to report a new address or other changes, we may not be able to contact you when your name is pulled from the Waiting List. Please note that CHA will contact all applicants by mail. If mail is returned to us undeliverable, your name will be removed from the waiting list.

Waiting List Preferences

The Caribou Housing Authority’s waiting list has the following preferences:

  1. Insufficient Funding: 
  2. Date and Time. 
  3. Jurisdiction [for any individual or family who (a) resides, (b) goes to school, or (c) works in Caribou’s jurisdiction.] Note, this preference does not apply for Mainstream Voucher applicants.
  4. Insufficient Program Funding. 
  5. Displaced by Natural Disaster
  6. Displaced by Government Action
  7. Homeless or Substandard Housing
  8. VAWA
  9. Veterans. 

After You Apply

1. Final Eligibility Screening

When a family is called in off of the waiting list, the family will first come to a final eligibility screening. This appointment allows the CHA to determine if the family’s income meets HUD’s guideline’s for participation, to verify residency status of each family member and his or her Social Security number, to have all adult members of the household sign and submit consent forms, and to ensure adult family members do not have criminal records which would keep them from being eligible for receiving housing assistance. It also allows the Housing Authority to make sure the family does not owe a balance to this Housing Authority, or to any other Housing Authority. Families who owe a balance to a Housing Authority are not eligible to receive housing assistance until that balance is paid.

2. Briefing

The next step in the housing process is the briefing. After a family has been determined to be eligible for the Housing Choice Voucher program, they must come in for a briefing where they receive more information about the program and about searching for housing. It is also at this appointment that the family receives a voucher and is finally considered fully eligible for housing assistance and can begin the housing search. Families will have 60 days to search for housing with the option for a one-time 60 day extension. They may look at homes all throughout the Caribou area until they find the home that suits their individual needs. Once they have selected a home, the family will turn in a Request for Tenancy Approval, allowing the home to be inspected for suitability.

3. Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspection

Once a Request for Tenancy Approval has been received by the Housing Authority, the amount of rent and the breakdown of utilities will be examined to make sure the family’s income can support the unit. If the unit meets HUD’s criteria of affordability, it will be scheduled for a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection. The HQS inspection allows an inspector to check the home to ensure it is safe and decent. The inspector looks at such things as the safety of the outlets in the home, the risk of lead exposure to young children and expectant mothers, and checks to make sure the utilities work properly. The HQS inspection is vital to the leasing process and a home cannot be approved for rental assistance until the inspection has passed.

4. Lease

After the inspection has passed, the home has been determined to be affordable, and the Housing Authority has compared the rent of the unit to other units in the area that are similar in size and features, families will sign a new lease with the owner and owners will sign a contract with the Housing Authority; then the housing assistance begins! Families will pay between 30 and 40 percent of their monthly income toward rent and utilities, and the rental assistance pays the difference, with rent being paid directly to the landlord.

5. Income & Household Changes

From this point on, it is the families’ responsibility to report any changes to their households. Families must report any changes to income – increases or decreases – and must report any changes in household composition in writing within ten (10) calendar days of the change. These changes may have an effect of the amount of rent the family must pay and it can be fraud if the family and/or result in the family owing the Housing Authority a balance if these changes are not reported properly. Families and landlords will be notified of any changes in rent in writing as soon as the change is complete. Families will also be required to attend an annual appointment to update their files, and have an annual HQS inspection to ensure the continued quality of their housing.