Reno Housing Authority (Washoe County)

Housing assistance programs offered by the Reno Housing Authority (RHA) include:

Rental Assistance - Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8) - The HCV program works as a rental subsidy that allows households to pay a reasonable portion of their income, no more than 40%, toward their rent. A voucher pays the rest. Eligibility for the HCV program is based on a household’s adjusted annual income and family size. Clients can rent a unit in any home/complex in Washoe County as long as it meets RHA’s Housing Quality Standards, as outlined by HUD.

Project Based Voucher Program (PBV) - With a PBV, the voucher is tied to the individual unit and the client’s portion of rent and utilities is generally 30% of their household’s adjusted monthly income. If a client moves out of a PBV unit, they cannot take the voucher to another property. However, once a PBV client has completed his/her PBV lease, they may apply for a traditional Housing Choice Voucher and use that voucher in another rental unit.

Public Housing Program - Public housing is a HUD-subsidized housing assistance program in which the RHA owns, manages, and maintains housing units and leases them to qualifying low-income households. The assistance is provided for a specific public housing unit only, meaning the assistance cannot be transferred to another unit. When a participant moves out of their unit, their housing assistance cannot be used somewhere else. The RHA owns eight public housing complexes throughout Washoe County and typically assists households with income at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Other RHA Affordable Housing - RHA owns and manages several affordable housing complexes serving Washoe County residents with income at or below 80% of the area median income. All program applicants go through an eligibility process including an interview, fingerprint background check, income and asset verification and, rental history screening before signing their lease.

Homeless Prevention Program - The Homeless Prevention Program provides Emergency Rental Assistance to residents of Washoe County to prevent homelessness arising from emergencies that temporarily jeopardize a household’s ability to pay rent or utilities. The Homeless Prevention Program is funded through an annual application to Nevada Housing Division’s Account for Affordable Housing Trust Funds, and funding is limited to the amount awarded to the RHA during each fiscal year.