NWICA can pay a portion of your monthly rent in several NW Indiana counties

Northwest Indiana Community Action (NWICA) operates a rental assistance program that subsidizes the rent of eligible tenants.

Rent Subsidies

NWICA administers federal dollars through the Section 8 housing program. Ordinarily, public housing requires that your family live in one of the housing projects operated by the local housing authority. NWICA provides an alternative to this arrangement, but this option is only available if there is not already a public housing authority that serves your community.

NWICA currently provides rent subsidies in Jasper, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, and Starke Counties. In Lake County, you  could be eligible as long as you live outside of East Chicago, Gary or Hammond. LaPorte County tenants are eligible as long as they live outside of Michigan City.

Lower income households residing in this service area could have a portion of their rent paid on their behalf by the agency. You simply pay your share of the rent, and supply a voucher to your landlord who will then redeem it for the balance of the monthly rent. NWICA will honor the voucher and pay the difference directly to the landlord.

This Housing Choice Voucher Program works well because it keeps your family out of public housing projects. Instead, you can live almost anywhere, assuming that the rental property is clean, safe and meets agency guidelines. Of course, it must also feature a reasonable rental rate, since you will still have to pay a good portion of the rent.

Your share of the rent is normally about 30% of your monthly household income. If your income changes, then NWICA can adjust the amount of your subsidy to ensure that you can still remain in the same home.

Any rental property already approved for Section 8 can be selected. If a home is not yet approved, the process is quite simple. The landlord must consent to be added to the program, and the agency must inspect the property to ensure that it meets guidelines.

To determine if you qualify for monthly rent subsidies, call NWICA at 1-800-826-7871.