Officials in Williams are working on a plan to transfer its rental assistance vouchers to Flagstaff.
It comes as Williams landlords continue to convert their properties to short-term rentals.
Low-income residents can use the section 8 vouchers to help pay rent.
But with fewer landlords accepting them, Williams stands to lose any rental assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Currently, Williams Mayor Don Dent says just 17 of the city’s 50 Section 8 rental vouchers are in use, and the program has operated without staff since 2023.
“We are running it now on a Band-Aid approach,” Dent says. “When you use less than 50% of your vouchers with HUD, you're what's called a failing agency. They think you're not doing your job. So, we've been classified as a failing agency for three years.”
Now Flagstaff has offered to take Williams’ vouchers, and run the program for both communities.
Sarah Darr is Flagstaff’s Housing Director.
“HUD had indicated it was possible that these vouchers could be lost to our region as a resource, so that became very important to us, to preserve as many housing resources, not only for the city of Williams but also to serve our community here in Flagstaff,” Darr says.
The change would represent a nearly 10% increase in the number of vouchers administered by Flagstaff.
She says it’s uncommon that a city is able to increase to the number of vouchers it administers.
“I was very excited to work on this project. Allocations of Section 8 vouchers that are not dedicated to a specific population are fairly hard to come by. Our last increase, probably in the last 15 years, was an increase of nine vouchers. So, having access to an additional 50 is a great resource,” Darr says. “That's an additional 50 households that will have access to housing resources as these vouchers turn over.”
Leaders in both cities have requested HUD approve the change, which is expected in June.
Last month, both the Williams and Flagstaff city councils approved resolutions endorsing the change.
Under the proposal, voucher holders in Williams will keep their rental assistance and the city of Williams will provide office space for Flagstaff housing staff to run the program.
“For existing voucher holders in the city of Williams, it is our intent to make this change as seamless as possible. The main change will be the staff that they work with,” Darr says.
Meanwhile, those vouchers that are currently unused could help make a dent in the nearly 900 eligible households on Flagstaff’s waiting list.
