Affordable Housing In Sierra County
New Mexico

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There are 5 low income housing apartment complexes which contain 278 affordable apartments for rent in Sierra County, New Mexico. Many of these rental apartments are income based housing with about 216 apartments that set rent based on your income. Often referred to as "HUD apartments", there are 32 Project-Based Section 8 subsidized apartments in Sierra County. There are 136 other low income apartments that don't have rental assistance but are still considered to be affordable housing for low income families.

The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Sierra County are the Truth or Consequences Housing Authority and Western Regional Housing Authority.

Affordable Apartments in Sierra County

Housing Authorities that serve Sierra County

Understanding Affordable Housing in Sierra County, New Mexico

• Population And Household Demographics
• Income and Rent Overburden
• Fair Market Rents
• Area Median Income
• Low Income Housing Tax Credit
• Rental Assistance

Sierra County, NM Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties	5
Total Low Income Apartments	278
Total Rent Assisted Apartments	216
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters	27.76%
Average Renter Household Size	2.46
Total Population	11,615
Housing Units	5,044
Average Household Size	2.25
Median Household Income	$29,356 ±$2,872
Median Rent	$575 ±$43
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened	42.93% ± 8.68pp

Population and Household Demographics

Sierra County is a County in New Mexico with a population of 11,615. There are 5,044 households in the county with an average household size of 2.25 persons. 27.76% of households in Sierra County are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Sierra County

The median gross income for households in Sierra County is $29,356 a year, or $2,446 a month. The median rent for the county is $575 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Sierra County, a household making less than $1,917 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 42.93% of households who rent are overburdened in Sierra County.¹

Data derived from 2010 Census and 2015 5-Year American Community Survey. Learn More.
¹ Margin of Error: ± 8.68 percentage points.

Area Median Income In Sierra County

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

In Sierra County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $44,300

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Sierra County

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Sierra County HUD Rental Assistance Income Limits

AMI Band	1 Person	2 Person	3 Person	4 Person	5 Person	6 Person	7 Person	8 Person
30%	$12,060	$16,240	$20,420	$24,600	$28,250	$30,350	$32,450	$34,550
50%	$18,350	$20,950	$23,550	$26,150	$28,250	$30,350	$32,450	$34,550
80%	$29,300	$33,500	$37,700	$41,850	$45,200	$48,550	$51,900	$55,250

You can identify apartment communities that participate in a program that provides rental assistance by looking for the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Rental Assistance Payments Project-Based Section 8 Rural Development Rental Assistance Public Housing tags in the apartment list above. View Apartments.

Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Sierra County

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program aims to create affordable rental housing for low and very low income families.

From 2004 to 2004, 2 low income apartment communities containing 73 rental apartments have been constructed and made affordable to low income persons in Sierra County by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.

You can identify apartment communities that participate in the program in Sierra County by looking for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit tag in the apartment list above. View Apartments.

If your income is less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), you should not expect to pay more than the rent value for a unit in the table below. However, Affordable apartment communities that receive funding through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program may have rental units that are not subject to income and rent limits.

Rent limits for the LIHTC Program are determined so that a household making the maximum income for the expected household size of the unit would only pay 30% of their income for rent.

Sierra County Low Income Housing Tax Credit Income Limits

AMI Band	1 Person	2 Person	3 Person	4 Person	5 Person	6 Person	7 Person	8 Person
50%	$18,350	$20,950	$23,550	$26,150	$28,250	$30,350	$32,450	$34,550
60%	$22,020	$25,140	$28,260	$31,380	$33,900	$36,420	$38,940	$41,460

For example, the expected household size for a two bedroom apartment is 3 people. Using the table above, the maximum income for a 3 person household at 60% of the AMI in Sierra County is $28,260 a year, or $2,355 a month. To determine the maximum rent in the table below we multiply the monthly maximum income, $2,355 by 30% to get a maximum rent of $707 a month.

Rent for units in the LIHTC Program include a utility allowance which is determined by the average monthly cost of utilities paid directly by residents. This allowance has not been subtracted from the rents in the table below. These utility allowances are set on a property by property basis.

% of AMI	Studio	2 Bed	3 Bed	4 Bed	1 Bed	5 Bed
50%	$459	$491	$589	$680	$759	$838
60%	$551	$590	$707	$816	$911	$1,005

Fair Market Rents in Sierra County

Fair Market Rents, often abbreviated as FMR, can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Notably, Fair Market Rents are used to establish the payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, maximum rents in HOME financed rental projects and initial rents for Section 8 project based assistance.

2017 Fair Market Rents

Studio	One BR	Two BR	Three BR	Four BR
$449	$502	$667	$912	$1,075