Fargo housing authority warns rising rents are pushing voucher program into deficit; new vouchers may be paused

Chris Brongart, chief executive officer with the Fargo Housing and Redevelopment Authority, told the Human Rights Commission on Sept. 18 that the agency is spending more on vouchers than Congress currently funds and may stop issuing new vouchers if funding does not increase. “Weare currently spending about 103% of our appropriations from the federal government for, for our vouchers,” Brongart said. “So weand weare actually deficit spending down our reserves." Brongart said the authority currently administers just over 2,000 Housing Choice Vouchers and is spending roughly $12,000,000 a year — “about a million dollars a month” — in subsidy payments. He said if Congress leaves funding flat, the authority cannot sustain that level of deficit spending and would avoid removing current participants by instead stopping issuance of new vouchers. “My plan right now, if we have to, we just dont issue new vouchers,” Brongart said. Commission members pressed Brongart on the agencywait list and priorities. Brongart said the authority maintains a wait list of roughly 600 households and uses preference points for seniors, people with disabilities and Cass County residency; the list has been closed in recent months. "We tend to want to have around a 6 month wait time to a year," Brongart said, adding the list has been closed for almost a year. Brongart also described the authorityportfolio: about 204 units of public housing, 162 scattered single-family sites, and several new and conversion projects including a 110-unit redevelopment of the Laschkowitz site and plans for additional downtown units. He said federal rules require environmental (NEPA) review of locations when federal funds are used, including review for concentration of poverty. Brongart described the authorityaffordability and eligibility rules, including a 12-month look-back for certain crimes and federal prohibitions for lifetime sex-offender and meth-manufacturing convictions. A public commenter, Christopher Cohn, raised concerns later in the meeting about responsiveness and case handling by the authority, saying he has sent emails and received no substantive replies. The commission did not take formal action on funding or wait-list policy at the meeting.