Contact your Housing Counselor via email with questions about the status of your case or paperwork. Based on the volume of inquiries FWHS staff receives, we prefer to respond by email and may not be able to respond to all voice mail messages.
Email us at customercare@fwhs.org and request the name of your assigned Housing Counselor if you cannot find the information in your email inbox.
Fort Worth Housing Solutions operates the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program locally and maintains a Wait List of up to 5,000 individuals selected through periodic lotteries. FWHS is not accepting pre-applications at this time.
The Wait List was last opened for pre-applications in January 2021. A limited number of vouchers become available each month as clients become self-sufficient and roll off the program.
Register in the HCV Applicant Portal at https://fortworth.myhousing.com/Account/Login when you are notified that you have secured a place on the HCV Wait List. Save your login and password information so that you can log in periodically to check your position on the Wait List or to update your contact information.
If you have difficulty logging into the Applicant Portal, email your contact information to customercare@fwhs.org. FWHS staff will contact you as soon as possible. The agency is not able to take phone calls at this time due to the high volume of calls received.
Qualified applicants receive a voucher that can be used to cover a portion of rent. Voucher holders are responsible for finding an acceptable unit whose owner agrees to rent under the program. Voucher holders pay 30 percent of their adjusted income toward an approved rent, and FWHS pays the difference. Adjusted income includes most sources of support, such as Social Security, VA benefits and child support.
FWHS determines a payment standard by ZIP code based on the fair market rent established by HUD for our area. The payment standard is used to calculate the amount of assistance a family will receive. By law, if a family moves to a new unit where the rent exceeds the payment standard, the family may not pay more than 40 percent of its adjusted month monthly income for rent.
FWHS policy generally allows vouchers for two persons per bedroom. However, two-person households with a child age 10 or older qualify for two-bedroom vouchers. An additional bedroom may be provided as an accommodation to a person with a disability by downloading, filling out and returning the Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form. Other exceptions may be made as outlined in the Housing Choice Voucher Program Administrative Plan.
Check the notification letter you received from your FWHS Housing Counselor. If you cannot find the letter, contact your Housing Counselor by email or message us at customercare@fwhs.org.
A family’s housing needs change over time with changes in family size, job locations or for other reasons. The Housing Choice voucher program is designed to allow families to move without the loss of housing assistance.
FWHS typically requires that moves occur during the annual re-certification period. Families must notify FWHS 10 days from the date of their Annual Recertification letter. The landlord must complete an affidavit of damages before the family is given a voucher allowing the move.
You also may choose to “port” a voucher to another jurisdiction. Visit www.fwhs.org/portability-information/ for information about porting a voucher to or from Fort Worth or email us at portability@fwhs.org.
Download and complete the FWHS Voucher Extension Request Form, fill it out and email a copy to customercare@fwhs.org.
Housing Choice Voucher holders may use their rental assistance to lease any housing – single-family homes, townhouses and apartments – that meet the requirements of the programs. Vouchers may be used anywhere in Tarrant County except Arlington, which operates its own housing authority.
The most comprehensive, online list is published at www.affordablehousing.com. Users can search for properties by ZIP code, city and state, number of bedrooms and other criteria or find their own rental options.
To use a voucher outside of FWHS’ jurisdiction, the voucher holder must port the voucher to the housing authority in the area where the voucher intends to live. For new FWHS voucher holders, you must live in Fort Worth for one year in order to qualify for portability. Portability information is available at www.fwhs.org/portability/.
No. HUD does not allow the resident to pay more than the amount approved by FWHS.
A resident may be allowed to lease a larger unit if the landlord accepts the payment standard approved by FWHS as the full rental fee. Note: FWHS must approve this request prior to move-in.
Yes. In addition to required annual income re-certifications, voucher holders must report all changes in household income to FWHS within 10 days of the change. Fill out and submit the online Income Reduction Form or download a FWHS Change of Income Form. Complete the form and email it to hcvchanges@fwhs.org. You may also mail it or deliver it to FWHS drop box outside our office.
An income decrease will be effective the first of the next month, after the decrease is reported. An increase will go into effect 30 days from the date of the change.
The landlord should email us at landlordservices@fwhs.org.
If you are having a problem with your rental unit, your first step is to speak with your landlord. We recommend that you put any complaint in writing and keep a copy for your records. If the owner does not respond, please submit your complaint and inspection request to inspections@fwhs.org.
Request for Tenancy Approval forms should be emailed to RFTA@fwhs.org. You will receive an email response confirming receipt.
The wait for a rental assistance voucher can be lengthy.
Vouchers become available to new clients as former voucher holders exit the program. FWHS awards a limited number of vouchers each month. You will be able to view your position on the Wait List on the Applicant Portal https://fortworth.myhousing.com/Account/Login as records are updated, but we cannot determine a specific date when you will be awarded a voucher.
FWHS initially inspects the property within 15 working days from either (a) the date the Request for Tenancy Approval is received by FWHS or (b) the date the owner indicated unit is ready for inspection, whichever is later, and provide results of the inspection report to the owner or owner’s representative.
