Affordable Housing In Polk County
Tennessee

3 Low Income Apartment Communities In Polk County

There are 3 low income housing apartment complexes which contain 96 affordable apartments for rent in Polk County. Many of these rental apartments are income based housing with 96 apartments that set rent based on your income. In Polk County, HUD housing programs support 24 rental assistance apartments through programs like Project-based Section 8. There are 0 other low income apartments that don't have rental assistance but are cheaper than market rate rents.

Housing Authorities that serve Polk County

Housing Authority	Programs
Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency	Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Family Self-sufficiency

Guide To Affordable Housing in Polk County, Tennessee

Polk County, TN Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties	3
Total Low Income Apartments	96
Total Rent Assisted Apartments	96
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters	21.88%
Average Renter Household Size	2.45
Total Population	16,687
Housing Units	6,745
Average Household Size	2.44
Median Household Income	$38,925 ±$2,469
Median Rent	$642 ±$30
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened	37.4% ± 6.69pp

Population and Household Demographics

Polk County is a County in Tennessee with a population of 16,687. There are 6,745 households in the county with an average household size of 2.44 persons. 21.88% of households in Polk County are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Polk County

The median gross income for households in Polk County is $38,925 a year, or $3,244 a month. The median rent for the county is $642 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Polk County, a household making less than $2,140 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 37.4% of households who rent are overburdened in Polk County.¹

Area Median Income In Polk 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 Polk County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $57,700

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 Polk 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.

Income Qualifications for Polk County HUD Rental Assistance in Polk County

Income	1 Person	2 Person	3 Person	4 Person	5 Person	6 Person	7 Person	8 Person
30% of Median	$12,490	$16,910	$21,330	$25,750	$30,170	$33,500	$35,800	$38,100
50% of Median	$20,200	$23,100	$26,000	$28,850	$31,200	$33,500	$35,800	$38,100
80% of Median	$32,350	$36,950	$41,550	$46,150	$49,850	$53,550	$57,250	$60,950

Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Polk County

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

From 1994 to 1994, 1 low income apartment communities containing 48 rental apartments have been constructed and made affordable to low income persons in Polk County 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 Polk County

Income	1 Person	2 Person	3 Person	4 Person	5 Person	6 Person	7 Person	8 Person
50% of Median	$20,200	$23,100	$26,000	$28,850	$31,200	$33,500	$35,800	$38,100
60% of Median	$24,240	$27,720	$31,200	$34,620	$37,440	$40,200	$42,960	$45,720

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 Polk County is $31,200 a year, or $2,600 a month. To determine the maximum rent in the table below we multiply the monthly maximum income, $2,600 by 30% to get a maximum rent of $780 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%	$505	$541	$650	$751	$838	$924
60%	$606	$650	$780	$901	$1,005	$1,109

Fair Market Rents in Polk 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.

2019 Fair Market Rents

Studio	One BR	Two BR	Three BR	Four BR
$513	$604	$799	$1,024	$1,233