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Section 8

Section 8 Program

The Sarasota Housing Authority operates two different types of voucher assistance. The tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, also known as Section 8, assists families with their rent while they reside in privately owned properties in the community. The project-based voucher (PBV) program assists clients with their rent while they reside in a specific unit that is covered by a long-term housing assistance payment contract. The rules for both programs are similar in nature and all participants report changes in household composition and income to our HCV offices at the address stated below.

The Section 8 Waiting List is now closed to the public.

Project-Based Vouchers (PBV)

The Sarasota Housing Authority does not manage the PBV waiting lists. Those lists are managed by the property managers who oversee those PBV units. Those locations are as follows:

Self Sufficiency Program Information

Contact Information

Address: 269 S. Osprey Avenue, Suite #100 Sarasota, FL 34236
Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Friday: Closed

Program Staff

HCV Director
Ana Mejia
(941) 361-6210, ext. 199
HCV Program Lead / Intake Specialist
Andrea Rock-Brown
(941) 361-6210, ext. 201
Housing Specialist II
Gail Vestrand
(941) 361-6210, ext. 239
Housing Specialist II
Gennetza Hernandez
(941) 361-6210, ext. 198
Housing Specialist I
Susan Brunke
(941) 361-6210, ext. 196
Housing Specialist I
Natashia Gibson
(941) 361-6210, ext. 227
Housing Specialist
Sarah Rickner
(941) 361-6210, ext. 195
Housing Specialist
Lelia Ortega
(941) 361-6210, ext. 262
Intake Specialist
Ruth Shaulis
(941) 361-6210, ext. 197
Landlord Liaison
Derrick Kirce
(941) 361-6210, ext. 267
Inspector
Fred Smith
(941) 361-6210, ext. 267
Receptionist
Rachel Rios
(941) 361-6210, ext. 232

Interested in moving to Sarasota with your voucher?

If you are a voucher holder currently living in another part of the state or country, and you wish to exercise your portability rights to move to Sarasota County, your housing authority will need to send your paperwork to:

Please note we are currently not absorbing.

Sarasota Housing Authority
269 S Osprey Avenue, Suite #100
Sarasota, FL 34236
Attention: Gail Vestrand , Sr. Housing Specialist
Phone: (941) 361-6210 Fax: (941) 366-4661

Please do not call the office to verify if we’ve received your portability packet, you must verify that information with your current Housing Authority. Once we receive your documents, we will contact you.

HCV Tenants

This page is for current voucher holders residing in the Sarasota Housing Authority jurisdiction. If you have questions about certain procedures, please click on the link below for frequently asked questions. This may answer your questions, and save you the time of calling your caseworker and making an appointment.

Notice of Occupancy Rights under the Violence Against Women Act For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221

All changes must be reported in writing using a rent change request form For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221. You may come to the office to complete the rent change form, or you may call and ask the receptionist to mail you one. The change is not considered reported until the housing authority receives your completed rent change form and all supporting documents. If you are reporting a new job or new childcare, you must provide the complete address and phone number for the employer or childcare provider. We will not make any changes until all information is verified and you are required to continue paying your current tenant portion of rent until the change is made by the SHA. All changes must be reported in writing within ten (10) calendar days from when the change actually takes place. Failure to report changes in a timely manner can result in the tenant owing money back to the housing authority for overpayments to your landlord.

The Sarasota Housing Authority requires that all children being added to your household are either biological children of an existing family member, or a child that has been placed with you through the court system. You can no longer add a child unless they fall under one of those categories. Adults cannot be added to your household if they change your voucher size. Any adults that are currently part of your household cannot be removed and then added back. If you have a college student as part of your household, they are eligible to remain in your household while they are attending college. It is not recommended that you remove a college student from your household unless they graduate and then move out and establish their own household.

If you have been living in your current unit for at least one year, you are in good standing with your landlord, and you do not owe the housing authority any money, you may be eligible to move. To start the move process, you must come to the office and fill out a “request to move” form. Your housing authority caseworker will assist you with everything that you need to know in order to move. Please be advised that you are not allowed to move out of your unit until you have a voucher to move. If you move without following the procedures, you will lose your assistance. The Sarasota Housing Authority allows clients to live anywhere in Sarasota County, as well as parts of Manatee County. If you receive a voucher to move and you fail to use that voucher, you will have to reapply to the program when the waiting list is open. You will not be eligible for a grievance hearing if you fail to utilize the voucher before it expires.

If you believe that your landlord is trying to charge you additional money that you are not supposed to be paying, you should call your caseworker to set up an appointment. You would need to bring with you, all receipts and evidence of payment to your landlord to show your caseworker. You should always keep receipts for payments you have made in case something arises that needs to be addressed. Please keep in mind that a landlord cannot charge you additional rent over and above what the housing authority has approved as the contract rent. And if you agree to pay any amounts over the approved amount, your assistance can be terminated for “side payments”

If your landlord files an eviction, you should immediately provide a copy of the eviction proceeding to the housing authority. Your caseworker will need to make copies of the documents that you have received. In Sarasota County, you are required to request a court date with the clerk of court if you wish to tell your side of the story. If you fail to do so, then the court will be able to make a ruling in the eviction without you having an opportunity to dispute the information in court. If you are not sure of your rights, you should seek legal counsel to represent you in court. Please remember that an eviction can cause you to lose your Section 8 assistance if the court finds in the favor of the landlord.

If you have items in your home that are in need of repairs, you should contact your landlord immediately. The landlord should respond and make any necessary repairs. If the landlord does not respond in a reasonable amount of time (48 to 72 hours), then you should contact the housing authority a request a “special inspection”. The inspection department will ask you questions regarding the nature of the repairs that need to be made. If it is determined that those are items that would cause the unit to fail an HQS inspection, then the housing authority will set up an inspection of your unit. If the unit fails the inspection, the landlord would have 30 days to make the necessary repairs unless they are considered life-threatening emergencies. In those cases, the landlord would only have 24 hours to make the repairs. If the items that you are calling about are not items that the housing authority would fail, then we will not perform a special inspection.

If you have been in your unit for at least one year and you are in good standing with your landlord, you may be eligible to move. Under the regulations regarding your Housing Choice Voucher, you can exercise your right to move under portability. This means that you would move to an area outside of the Sarasota Housing Authority jurisdiction and another housing authority would administer your voucher. The agency that will administer the voucher is known as the receiving agency. You would start your move process by completing a request to move. If you are approved to move, then your caseworker will set up an appointment for you to receive a voucher. During this appointment, you would provide the caseworker with the name of the housing authority in the city and state for which you would like to move. If you are unsure about which housing authority handles the area, your caseworker should be able to assist you at your appointment. There are special rules and requirements for clients wishing to port out of our jurisdiction, and your caseworker will go over those with you when you attend the appointment.

Utility reimbursements are not processed before the 1st of the month. If the 1st occurs on a weekend or holiday, then the payment is not processed until the following business day. Most clients receive this money on a BB&T debit card. If you have not received your money by the 15th of the month and you have a debit card, you will need to contact the bank to see what has taken place. If you have not received a debit card yet, your money will be paid by check and should be received by the 15th of the month. Please do not contact the housing authority regarding your payment unless you have not received it by the 15th day of the month. Just a note: if you pay rent to your landlord, you do not receive a utility reimbursement from the housing authority.

If you need something from your tenant file, you must request those items in writing using the Request for Documents form. That form can be completed at the office or it can be mailed to your home. Your request will be passed on to your caseworker and they will pull the required items and make copies. You will be notified when those items are available for pick-up. The cost of copies is 50 cents per page. You will be required to pay for the copies when you pick them up. Those requests will be processed within 48 hours of receipt by the housing authority.

If you cannot pay your rent or utilities as required by your lease, you should contact United Way by calling 211 from your home phone or cell phone to see if you qualify for assistance. Please be advised that the housing authority does NOT assist anyone with paying their bills, but United Way may be able to find agencies that have funding available for you. The agencies that provide assistance are community agencies and/or churches. Those funds are not always available as they are dependent on contributions and grants. Once the funding is used, assistance may not be available. Just a note: your rent is based on 30% of your total family income. If you have experienced a loss of income, you need to report that change in writing using the Rent Change Request Form and then submit it to the housing authority so that your rent can be adjusted. Please see the previous section of this document regarding rent changes.

You are required to annually recertify your household size and your income at a time specified by the Housing Authority. You are also required to allow the inspector to inspect your unit as required by HUD either annually or biannually. If you experience any changes in your income or household between your annual recertification, then you are required to report those changes as well. You must follow all rules and procedures regarding moves or you may be subject to termination.

If you lose your assistance for violating any rules or obligations, then you will have to wait a period of 5 years from your termination date in order to reapply for housing. If you owe money to the Housing Authority under any federal assistance programs, you will not be allowed to reapply until that debt is paid full, regardless of how many years it has been.

HCV Forms

HCV Documents

Please upload the forms above to the Tenant Portal, fax to 941-366-4661, or drop at our office.

If the format of any material/content on this website interferes with your ability to access information please contact: info@sarasotahousing.org

Landlords

If you are interested in becoming a landlord with the Housing Choice Voucher Program, please click here to learn more about the program commonly referred to as Section 8 For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221. We have included a wealth of information to assist you in a more efficient manner.

Landlord Liaison, Derrick Kirce, (941) 361-6210, ext. 267

CHANGE OF ADDRESS – If you are a current landlord and you need to change the address that we have on file for you, please complete this change of address form For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221 and fax to (941) 366-4661 or mail it to 269 S Osprey Ave, Suite #100, Sarasota FL 34236.

CHANGE BANK – If you are a current landlord and you need to change your bank account information that we have on file, please complete a new direct deposit form here For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221. You may fax this form to (941) 366-4661 or mail to 269 S Osprey Ave, Suite #100, Sarasota FL 34236.

INSPECTIONS – If you are an owner and you are interested in learning more about what our inspector is looking at during a Housing Quality Standards inspection, you can view a copy of our detailed inspection form For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221.

PAYMENTS – If you are a landlord with the Housing Choice Voucher Program, your payment breakdown is now emailed to you each month. If you do not have an email address on file, please call or email us with your correct email address and we will make sure that we update your account. If you do not have a valid email on file, you will not receive a payment breakdown each month. Please be advised that if you request a payment breakdown, you will need to come in and pay for copies of the document.

NEW OWNER OF A PROPERTY – If you have recently purchased a property from one of our landlords and you are going to continue renting to the current voucher holder that is residing in the unit, then we are going to need information from you! You will need to complete the following form: Change of Owner Packet For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221

Please send all of the completed forms to us along with the settlement statement showing that you purchased the property and a voided check. Once we receive all of these items, we will process the change of owner to begin the first of the following month. Please be advised that we do not make any retroactive changes unless the old owner contacted us and asked us to place their payments on hold due to the pending sale. In this case, we will be able to make the change effective retroactively to the first month in which we held the payment.

OWNER SOLD SECTION 8 PROPERTY – If you have recently sold a Section 8 property and you would like to let us know, you can click here to complete the Owner Sold Section 8 Property form For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221. The form will just let us know that we should be on the lookout for information from a new owner and will also let us know how you wish for us to handle your future payments.

RENT INCREASES – If you would like to request a rent increase for a property, you must do so at least 60 days before your tenant’s lease renewal. Please click here to complete the rent increase form For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221.

Unit Listings

Advertising and locating property has never been easier!

The Housing Authority has partnered with GoSection8.com, which provides an enhanced program to list rental properties online. Listings are available to potential Housing Choice Voucher tenants seeking apartment units, duplexes, single-family homes or townhomes in the private market. If you have any questions regarding registering, creating or viewing property listings, please contact the GoSection8 toll free helpline at 1-866-466-7328.

(*) It is recommended that Landlords add photos to their listing for better advertising and faster lease up!

Protect Yourself from Housing Scams

Portability

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE NOW BILLING FOR ALL INCOMING PORTABILITY!

If you currently hold a Section 8 tenant based voucher in another jurisdiction and wish to relocate to Sarasota County, you will need to click here to read more about how our agency handles incoming portability clients For help downloading, please call 941-361-6210 x221. This document contains all of the information that you will need to know about porting to Sarasota.

When porting to Sarasota, it is important that your initial housing authority provides us with your correct mailing address because our agency will MAIL you a packet of paperwork to complete. If your initial agency does not provide us with your correct address, then your packet will be delayed in getting to you if you are having your mail forwarded.

Interested in moving to Sarasota with your voucher?

If you are a voucher holder currently living in another part of the state or country, and you wish to exercise your portability rights to move to Sarasota County, your housing authority will need to send your paperwork to:

Please note we are currently not absorbing.

Sarasota Housing Authority
269 S Osprey Avenue, Suite #100
Sarasota, FL 34236
Attention: Gail Vestrand , Sr. Housing Specialist
Phone: (941) 361-6210 Fax: (941) 366-4661

Please do not call the office to verify if we’ve received your portability packet, you must verify that information with your current Housing Authority. Once we receive your documents, we will contact you.