Affordable Housing In Portsmouth
Scioto County,
Ohio
14 Low Income Apartment Communities In Portsmouth
B.T. Washington Apartments
Shawnee Apartments
Riverview Retirement Center
There are 14 low income housing apartment complexes which contain 997 affordable apartments for rent in Portsmouth. Many of these rental apartments are income based housing with 908 apartments that set rent based on your income. In Portsmouth, HUD housing programs support 89 rental assistance apartments through programs like Project-based Section 8. There are 89 other low income apartments that don't have rental assistance but are cheaper than market rate rents.
Housing Authorities that serve Portsmouth
| Housing Authority | Programs |
|---|---|
| Portsmouth Metropolitan Housing Authority | Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing |
Guide To Affordable Housing in Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth, OH Affordable Housing Snapshot
| Total Affordable Apartment Properties | 14 |
|---|---|
| Total Low Income Apartments | 997 |
| Total Rent Assisted Apartments | 908 |
| Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters | 49.33% |
| Average Renter Household Size | 2.28 |
| Total Population | 20,376 |
| Housing Units | 8,154 |
| Average Household Size | 2.33 |
| Median Household Income | $27,253 ±$3,976 |
| Median Rent | $533 ±$39 |
| Percentage Of Renters Overburdened | 46.3% ± 6.62pp |
Population and Household Demographics
Portsmouth is a City in Scioto County, Ohio with a population of 20,376. There are 8,154 households in the city with an average household size of 2.33 persons. 49.33% of households in Portsmouth are renters.
Income and Rent Overburden in Portsmouth
The median gross income for households in Portsmouth is $27,253 a year, or $2,271 a month. The median rent for the city is $533 a month.
Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Portsmouth, a household making less than $1,777 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 46.3% of households who rent are overburdened in Portsmouth.1
Area Median Income In Portsmouth
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.
HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Portsmouth, the AMI is calculated from all households within Scioto County.
In Portsmouth, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $53,700
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 Portsmouth
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.
Income Qualifications for Portsmouth HUD Rental Assistance in Portsmouth
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% of Median | $13,750 | $16,910 | $21,330 | $25,750 | $30,170 | $34,590 | $39,010 | $43,200 |
| 50% of Median | $22,900 | $26,200 | $29,450 | $32,700 | $35,350 | $37,950 | $40,550 | $43,200 |
| 80% of Median | $36,650 | $41,850 | $47,100 | $52,300 | $56,500 | $60,700 | $64,900 | $69,050 |
Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Portsmouth
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program aims to create affordable rental housing for low and very low income families.
From 1991 to 2011, 5 low income apartment communities containing 174 rental apartments have been constructed and made affordable to low income persons in Portsmouth by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
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.
Income Qualifications for Low Income Housing Tax Credit Apartments in Portsmouth
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% of Median | $22,900 | $26,200 | $29,450 | $32,700 | $35,350 | $37,950 | $40,550 | $43,200 |
| 60% of Median | $27,480 | $31,440 | $35,340 | $39,240 | $42,420 | $45,540 | $48,660 | $51,840 |
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 Portsmouth is $35,340 a year, or $2,945 a month. To determine the maximum rent in the table below we multiply the monthly maximum income, $2,945 by 30% to get a maximum rent of $884 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 | 1 Bed | 2 Bed | 3 Bed | 4 Bed | 5 Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $573 | $614 | $736 | $851 | $949 | $1,047 |
| 60% | $687 | $737 | $884 | $1,021 | $1,139 | $1,256 |
Fair Market Rents in Portsmouth
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.
2019 Fair Market Rents
| Studio | One BR | Two BR | Three BR | Four BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $438 | $596 | $682 | $966 | $1,070 |
