Solano County Housing Authority adopts revised 5-year, annual and MTW plans; board hears landlord recruitment challenges

Sitting in its capacity as the Solano County Housing Authority on April 8, the Board of Supervisors approved revisions to the agency’s five-year and annual plans and the Moving to Work (MTW) supplemental plan, and approved two versions of administrative plan chapters addressing Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOPMA) changes—one with HOPMA provisions and one without—pending U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development implementing guidance. The board voted 5-0 to adopt staff recommendations.

Housing services administrator Celinda Aguilar Vasquez and principal planner Matt Walsh said the county contracts with the City of Vacaville Housing Authority to administer day-to-day Section 8 operations for the Solano County jurisdiction (the cities of Dixon and Rio Vista and the unincorporated county). The authority manages up to 368 vouchers and reported the following voucher inventory: 251 regular Housing Choice Vouchers, 19 tenant-protection vouchers, 45 VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) vouchers, 50 mainstream vouchers and 3 mainstream CARE vouchers.

Staff said the housing authority increased payment standards to 110% of the fair-market rent (the maximum permitted by HUD) to broaden neighborhood choices and has implemented a landlord incentive program that offers sign-on bonuses, damage-claim payments and vacancy-loss payments. The authority reported about 276 vouchers leased (approximately 67–70% utilization), leaving roughly 92 vouchers unused. Staff and board members described landlord recruitment as the primary barrier to increased utilization. Vacancies are constrained by the authority’s limited jurisdiction and by housing unit availability in those jurisdictions.

During deliberations supervisors asked about federal funding uncertainty under continuing resolutions; staff said there was no immediate change to program funding through the current continuing resolution. Several members pushed for expanded outreach to landlords: Supervisor Bryant offered to host a lunch to recruit owners, Supervisor Vasquez asked staff to coordinate publicity with Dixon and Rio Vista, and Supervisor James requested a heat map showing concentration of voucher use across the county and cities to target landlord outreach. Staff agreed to consult GIS and to report back.

The board opened and closed a public hearing; one speaker asked how applicants and landlords access the voucher waitlist and staff directed the speaker to county intake points including Resource Connect Solano and the coordinated entry system while noting the county waitlist for this program is closed. The board approved staff’s recommendation and directed staff to continue outreach and to report back on landlord recruitment and the requested mapping.

The action moves the authority’s plans forward pending HUD guidance on HOPMA and positions staff to pursue landlord engagement measures intended to increase voucher utilization.