We now have incentives available for new participants of our Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program! Any current landlord who is interested in housing a new participant may be eligible for up to a $1,500 leasing bonus. Owners that are new to the program who house a new participant may be eligible for a $2,500 bonus.

We are excited to offer these incentives to increase our partnerships and available housing opportunities for our families. You may contact us at HA-Owners@longbeach.gov for more information.  

As of last year, we have implemented our Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) Program, which was made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). HUD provided EHVs to local housing authorities in order to assist individuals and families who are:

• Experiencing homelessness;
• At risk of experiencing homelessness;
• Fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking; or
• Were recently experiencing homelessness or have a high risk of housing instability.

The Long Beach Housing Authority received 582 EHVs from HUD. The EHV referrals will be processed through the Coordinated Entry System by the Multi-Service Center (MSC) and Continuum of Care partners, who identify individuals and families who fit the above criteria. 

Please contact the following agencies to support people through the EHV Program:

1. Harbor InterFaith Services at (310) 831-9123 to refer a family in a domestic violence situation
2. Catholic Charities at (213) 251.3421 for a family in need
3. Multi-Service Center at (562) 570-4500 for families at risk of homelessness or who are currently experiencing homeless

Each voucher may come with the following incentives:

• Leasing bonuses for owners
• Holding fees
• Security deposit payments
• Application fees
• Utility deposits
• Essential household items
• Damage claims

If you are interested in learning more about this program, please attend our next owner orientation on August 17, 2022, at 4 p.m. You may also contact us at

HA-Owners@longbeach.gov. 

All owners must have a Direct Deposit Authorization Form completed AND an email address on file. If you are unable to provide an email and/or set up a direct deposit due to a disability, you may submit a reasonable accommodation request to receive manual checks.

If you suspect wrongdoing or fraud by anyone involved with the Housing Authority's programs, you may leave a confidential message for the Program Integrity Coordinator by completing the form linked below. You can also call our Fraud Hotline at (562) 570-SEC8 (7328).

Effective January 1, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 1482 (AB 1482), which caps rent increases statewide for the next 10 years. This bill limits annual rent increases at 5%, plus any rise in the consumer price index (CPI), which cannot exceed 10% in total. In addition, AB 1482 prevents evictions without “just cause” for tenants that have lived in the unit for at least one year. The bill impacts apartments and multi-family buildings containing two or more units, but exempts single-family residences, owner-occupied duplexes, and condominiums, except when owned by corporations or LLC in which at least one member is a corporation.

Effective April 1, 2022, the CPI increased to 7.9%, which amounts to 12.9% in total given the base of 5%. According to AB 1482, rent increases are capped at 10% even if the CPI is greater; therefore, the max allowable rent increase is 10% annually, effective July 1, 2022.

It is the City of Long Beach’s position that HUD subsidies administered by the Housing Authority are not exempt from this law, which means that rental units within Long Beach are covered under AB 1482. Thus, the Housing Authority will not process any rent increases beyond 10% of the current rent and will not accept any 90-day notices without cause.

The Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach will continue to use affordablehousing.com to conduct rent reasonableness and apply AB 1482 to all applicable cases. Please note that will revise and apply AB1482 to any rent increases retroactively to January 1, 2020. Property owners and managers will need to credit residents for any adjustments made by the Housing Authority.

Our owner portals are active now! Have you signed up yet? Please do so at tinyurl.com/HACLBOwnerPortal. You can submit your rent increase requests, check payment history, request inspections, view contract status, and everything else you may need at any time. Also, you can request changes to your direct deposit information, address information, and property management companies.

Please sign up and look around our owner portal. We would love your feedback! Please send any suggestions to our owner services email at HA-Owners@longbeach.gov.

Please remember that one of the benefits of the subsidized programs is when your Section 8 tenant loses their income, they report it to the Housing Authority. We will assess the new information and make the appropriate change to our subsidy payment and their portion of the rent. This will ensure the owner is held harmless and the monthly rent obligation continues to be met.  

Effective January 1, 2022, the Long Beach Housing Authority has published its Payment Standards for the current fiscal year. The Payment Standards are the maximum subsidy amount the Housing Authority can pay to the property owners on behalf of the family leasing a unit.

Before approving the Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA), the Housing Authority performs rent reasonableness to ensure that the rent is comparable to the market rate. As part of this process, the Housing Authority must determine if the apartment is affordable for the family. The family pays a portion of the rent based on their household income. If the rent is higher than the Payment Standard, the difference is added to the family’s portion. If the family portion is more than 40% of their monthly income, the apartment is deemed unaffordable.  

Sample Scenario: If an applicant/participant has a 1-bedroom voucher and it is located in 90805, our payment standard is $1,595, and you decide to request $1,695 as the contract rent. If $1,695 is approved by the Housing Authority, the applicant/participant would pay 30% of their income + the additional $100 as part of their approved portion. 

Note the following provisions regarding the Payment Standards:

• All payment standards are set at 110% of published Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMR). Long Beach has elected to use SAFMRs to establish payment standards, which sets voucher amounts at the neighborhood (by zip code) rather than metro level. This allows vouchers to pay more in higher-rent neighborhoods and less in lower-rent neighborhoods. 

• Applicable to all vouchers provided through our Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA), and Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) programs. 

• Applicable to all new contracts received on or after 12/8/2021 and to annual recertifications effective 1/1/2022. 

New and existing owners are invited to join us for orientations designed to provide you with key information on participating in our programs. These sessions will include information about our rental subsidy programs, Family Self-Sufficiency, leasing incentives, processes and procedures, program rules and regulations, and the latest news pertinent to our partnership.

All 2022 orientations will continue to be held virtually via Zoom, until further notice. You must RSVP to receive an email invitation. Please see the contact information below. 

Upcoming Dates

Mark your calendar and plan to attend one of our following orientations: 

• Wednesday, August 17, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

• Tuesday, September 20, noon to  2 p.m. 

• Wednesday, October 19, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

• Tuesday, November 15, noon to 2 p.m. 

• Wednesday, December 21, 4 p.m. to 600 pm