Public Housing Agencies Serving Amherst County, Virginia

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.

Amherst County, Virginia Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Amherst County, Virginia

Amherst County features 58 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 Amherst County, Virginia

There are 118 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Amherst County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Amherst County, Virginia

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Amherst County landlords $700 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Amherst County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Amherst County, Virginia for a two-bedroom apartment is between $837 and $1,023.

2023 Amherst County, Virginia Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Amherst County, VA Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties	5
Total Low Income Apartments	176
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance	58
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters	23.74%
Average Renter Household Size	2.41
Average Household Size	2.48
Median Household Income	$47,558 ±$3,068
Median Rent	$679 ±$23
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened	38.85% ± 5.66pp
Total Population	32,148

Population and Household Demographics

Amherst County is a county in Virginia with a population of 32,148. There are 12,502 households in the county with an average household size of 2.48 persons. 23.74% of households in Amherst County are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Amherst County

The median gross income for households in Amherst County is $47,558 a year, or $3,963 a month. The median rent for the county is $679 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Amherst County, a household making less than $2,263 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 38.85% of households who rent are overburdened in Amherst County.

Area Median Income In Amherst 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 Amherst County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $78,900

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 Amherst 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 HUD Rental Assistance in Amherst County