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Housing authority reports tight supply, waits high for one‑bedroom units; Nogales vouchers nearly fully leased
Summary
At the April 2 meeting of Gail's Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, staff reported strong occupancy overall but a shortage of one‑bedroom units, details on Housing Choice and project‑based vouchers, and that Nogales stability vouchers are mostly in use.
Gail's Housing Authority staff told the board Wednesday that overall occupancy remains near target but the agency is facing a shortage of one‑bedroom rental units, limiting options for voucher holders and applicants.
The executive director reported public housing occupancy at 217 existing leases, with three units ready to lease, zero in turnaround, and six offline for modernization — a total of 226 units on the public housing inventory. "We're still sticking to our 98%," the executive director said, referring to 217 leased units out of 220 available. She said the authority had one move‑in and two move‑outs during the reporting month.
Waiting lists remain long, the director said: 104 applicants for one‑bedroom units, 63 for two‑bedrooms, 25 for three‑bedrooms, six for four‑bedrooms and one for a five‑bedroom unit. "Our biggest shortage is one‑bedroom units," the executive director said, noting the office is accepting in‑person applications Tuesdays and Thursdays and online applications 24/7.
On vouchers, the authority reported 177 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) executed in leases, with nine vouchers "on the street" (assigned to households searching for housing), 13 available, and 155 currently leased. Project‑based vouchers are fully in use: 20 of 20 slots are filled with one move‑in reported this month and 33 applicants on the waiting list for project‑based placement.
Regarding porting and portability, staff said one incoming port was applied this month. Stability vouchers allocated to Nogales housing show four executed under lease and one ported out of five total assigned to that program. Of 15 emergency housing vouchers allocated, 10 were leased and one had ported out.
Commissioners asked whether the authority had recruited new landlords to accept vouchers. The executive director replied that staff have recruited landlords but are constrained by rent limits tied to voucher payment standards — especially for one‑bedroom units — and that landlords have inquired but pricing and eligibility determine placement.
The board heard that public housing may be more flexible with "over‑housing" (placing a household in a larger unit temporarily) whereas HCV placements have less flexibility. Commissioners also asked about purging the waiting list; staff said the authority purges the list once a year, in September.
Ending: The board moved on to budget and grant items after the operations update.
