What HUD offices serve Van Buren County, Michigan?
Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.
Go to the Michigan Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Van Buren County.
How many renters live in Van Buren County, Michigan?
The County of Van Buren County has 75,692 people living in 31,239 households.
There are 12,791 renters living in 6,240 renter households in this County. Renters make up 16.9 percent of the population living in Van Buren County.
What is the rental market like in Van Buren County, Michigan?
There are an estimated 37,076 housing units in the Van Buren County area. Of these, 6,316 units are rental homes, making up 17 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Van Buren County, Michigan, there are 1 rental units.
What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Van Buren County?
The rental vacancy rate in Van Buren County is 7 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.
How many rental units are in Van Buren County for each bedroom size?
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Van Buren County
| Studio | One-Bedroom | Two-Bedroom | Three-Bedroom | Four+ Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1,603 | 2,406 | 1,872 | 268 |
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Van Buren County
A large number of apartments in Van Buren County have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.
How many renter households in Van Buren County are overburdened by housing costs?
Among renter households in this market, 42 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 22 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.
The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.
How Much Is Rent in Van Buren County
Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $653 to $1,284. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.
| Bed Size | 2024 Fair Market Rents |
| Studio | $653 |
| One BR | $734 |
| Two BR | $964 |
| Three BR | $1,255 |
| Four BR | $1,284 |
2024 Fair Market Rents in Van Buren County, Michigan
How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Van Buren County?
Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.
These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:
| Unit Size | Count of Units Below FMR | Percentage of Total Units Below FMR |
| Studio | 20 | 100 percent |
| One BR | 1,288 | 80 percent |
| Two BR | 1,478 | 61 percent |
Rental Units Below FMR in Van Buren County, Michigan
How many affordable rental units are in Van Buren County?
There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Van Buren County, Michigan including the following:
| Federal Program | Unit Count |
| Low Income Housing Tax Credit | 735 |
| Public Housing | 206 |
| Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance | 179 |
| Section 236 Rental Assistance | 17 |
| USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing | 849 |
| USDA Section 514 Farm Labor Housing | 36 |
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Van Buren County, Michigan
Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.
Income Based Apartments in Van Buren County, Michigan
Van Buren County features 1,403 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.
Low Rent Apartments in Van Buren County, Michigan
There are 292 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Van Buren County.
Housing Choice Vouchers in Van Buren County, Michigan
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Van Buren County landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Van Buren County.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Van Buren County, Michigan for a two-bedroom apartment is between $868 and $1,060.
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
