Michigan City Housing Authority adds 500 to voucher waiting list; board approves multiple finance and program policies

The Michigan City Housing Authority Board of Commissioners on Sept. 18 approved a package of financial and program policies and heard staff reports that the agency has added 500 applicants to its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) waiting list following a lottery.

The board approved multiple resolutions covering HCV payment standards, public-housing flat rents, a small construction change order, a new write-off policy for uncollectible tenant debt and several internal financial-control and allocation policies. Staff also reported a nearly 995-application intake for the HCV list, early processing of selected applicants, ongoing maintenance and security work at developments and an effort to collect long-standing tenant balances.

The waiting-list lottery and voucher issuance matter is a near-term operational item: staff said 995 total applications were received for the recent HCV opening, the authority’s software randomly selected 500 applicants to be placed on the waiting list, and staff have begun outreach and eligibility work. “We performed a lottery through our software system that selected 500 applicants that were placed on the HCV waiting list,” a staff member reported to the board. Staff said they have pulled 25 applicants from that new waiting list for further processing; of 25 scheduled appointments, 23 appointments led to payments/processing as of the meeting. The authority reported 4 vouchers already issued, 5 voucher holders searching for units, 1 voucher that expired and 54 applicants withdrawn from the waiting list.

Why it matters: adding 500 applicants and creating a refreshed waiting list lets the authority begin issuing vouchers and moving households to housing search. Staff told the board they plan to send notice letters to all 500 selected applicants and to continue processing additional batches from the new list through October.

Finance and program policy actions

Tammy Cook, landlord finance manager, presented the authority’s financial summary for July and the rationale for the policies before the board. Cook reported housing-assistance-payment funding for July of $172,256 and housing-assistance payments of $173,914; HCV operation reserves were listed as $526,089, administrative fees earned for July were $15,001 and portability administrative fees were $722.34. Business activity reported a negative net income for July of $61,430.01.

The board approved a set of resolutions the meeting packet had labeled by number (transcript references the series as “2025-14” through “2025-21”). Discussion on the HCV payment standards noted that payment standards are set relative to HUD’s Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and that the agency was using HUD guidance (PIH Notice 2024-34) to set allowable ranges. A staff explanation to the board said payment standards are the maximum the authority will pay toward rent and utilities in the HCV program and that HUD normally allows a range of 90%–110% of FMR (with earlier COVID-era allowances for higher levels where applicable).

Tenant accounts and write-offs

The board reviewed long-standing tenant receivables and approved policies and specific write-offs to remove uncollectible balances from the authority’s books. Staff said the receivables going to write-off reach back to 2017; the board approved a new write-off policy to wipe uncollectible debt from accounting after specified collection attempts. Staff emphasized that a write-off does not erase the debt: if a former tenant reapplies, the outstanding balance may be collected before re-enrollment. Staff also said the authority will enter balances into HUD’s national “Debts Owed” database so other housing authorities will see prior debts when they perform eligibility checks.

During discussion staff said the authority has begun sending statements and pursuing repayment agreements; Desiree Van Walters, property manager, and finance staff reported they are arranging payment plans for residents with outstanding balances. Board members noted past lapses in enforcement and reconciliation work and said the authority’s recent reconciliation (completed in late 2024) enabled more accurate billings and the current collection push.

Property management, security and rehab updates

Desiree Van Walters, property manager, reported occupancy rates across developments: Lakeland Estates 84% with one vacancy; Boulevard Gardens 78% with four vacancies; Harborside Homes 67% with two vacancies; Harborside duplexes 50% with two vacancies; scattered sites 75% and business activity 58% with 11 vacancies. Work orders received for the reporting period numbered 74; 131 work orders were closed, and 461 remained outstanding at the time of the report.

Staff described new security patrols and work on building doors after resident complaints. Van Walters told the board the authority is increasing officer patrols and monitoring door-lock issues via a phone app; substantial door-system upgrades would require capital funding because replacing single deadbolts is incompatible with the buildings’ master key/security systems. Staff also said they are removing abandoned satellite dishes across sites and scheduling final walkthroughs for rehab work at scattered-site and business-activity units. Two public-housing participants completed the homeownership program and received deeds during the reporting period.

Votes at a glance (summary of board actions recorded in the meeting)

- Resolution 2025-14 (payment standards for HCV program, FY2026 update per HUD FMR/PIH guidance): approved (roll call recorded; individual roll-call votes not fully specified in transcript). - Resolution 2025-15 (public-housing flat rent authorization tied to FMRs / internal formula): approved. - Resolution 2025-16 (vacancy reduction change order no. 5, Lakeland punch-list work): approved; change-order amount reported as $1,075.78. - Resolution 2025-17 (policy authorizing write-offs of uncollectible tenant debt after prescribed collection steps): approved. - Resolution 2025-18 (cost-allocation plan describing allocation of shared/admin costs among programs): approved. - Resolution 2025-19 (financial internal-control policy): approved. - Resolution 2025-20 (authorization to approve accounts and tenant-account write-offs across developments, with historical balances back to 2017): approved. - Resolution 2025-21 (HCV tenant account write-offs, separate program-specific write-offs): approved.

Where vote details were not spoken into the public record, the meeting transcript records the board’s approval language and several individual “Aye” responses; the transcript did not include a complete, named yes/no tally for every resolution.

What the board directed next

Board members and staff identified follow-up steps: staff will continue processing the new HCV waiting list (sending notice letters to the 500 selected applicants and pulling additional applicants for eligibility checks), continue payment-plan outreach for tenants with arrears, and pursue completion of punch-list rehab work. A landlord “lunch-and-learn” for voucher holders and landlords is scheduled for Oct. 23, according to staff.

The meeting closed with routine items and no public comments recorded during the formal public-comment period.