Keene Housing (KH) administers several federally funded voucher programs. Our voucher programs allow low and moderate income households to rent privately owned apartments by helping them pay a portion of the rent. KH provides rent payments, called Housing Assistance payments (HAPs), based upon the current voucher payment standards (VPS). The VPS is paid for new or recently renovated apartments that include all utilities.
The Voucher Payment Standard is the maximum subsidy KH may provide toward a household’s gross rent (rent plus an allowance for tenant-paid utilities). If the gross rent is higher than the VPS, the household must make up the difference out of its own pocket, in addition to their tenant portion. KH reviews its VPS amounts annually based upon state and local market data.
The Payment Standard assumes all utilities are included in the monthly rent. KH’s Utility Allowance Schedule shows the typical cost of utilities and services that will be used to calculate deductions subtracted from the payment standard amount when a resident is responsible to pay for utilities and services (heat, hot water, and electricity).