The Homeownership Voucher Program is open only to qualified families who already take part in the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program.
Hoping to buy your first home but worried about covering the mortgage and other monthly costs? The Fredville Homeownership Voucher Program lets eligible participants put their housing assistance toward owning a home.
Program Highlights
- The program helps first-time buyers cover their monthly homeownership costs.
- Before the purchase, the home must pass a housing quality standards (HQS) inspection conducted by the city's housing staff, plus a separate inspection by an independent inspector.
- Most families can get help with mortgage payments for up to 15 years, and qualifying elderly families and families with disabilities may receive assistance for up to 30 years.
- Every participant goes through recertification each year, including a check of income and other eligibility factors, much like the rental assistance program.
Eligibility
- Be enrolled in the Fredville Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program
- Have held a voucher for at least one year
- Be buying a home for the first time
- Earn at least the federal minimum wage
- Work at least 30 hours per week (unless you are over 62 or receive SSI because of a disability)
- Have worked continuously for one year
- Have a mortgage pre-approval from a lender
Steps to Buying a Home
After Fredville Housing and Neighborhood Services (FVHNS) confirms that a voucher holder is eligible, the family moves through these steps.
Step 1: Take a homeownership class
Finish a homeownership education course before you buy. A list of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies is available.
Step 2: Choose a HUD-approved lender
Work with a lender approved by HUD who can give you a mortgage pre-approval.
Step 3: Let FVHNS know
When you have your pre-approval, email [email protected].
Step 4: Have your lender send your documents
Ask your lender to email your loan application (Form 1003) and pre-approval letter to [email protected].
Step 5: Start house hunting
Look for homes that fit the pre-approval amount your lender approved and FVHNS accepted.
Step 6: Sign a sales contract
Sign a purchase contract and complete the home sale.
Step 7: Get inspections
Schedule an FVHNS housing quality standards inspection along with an inspection by an independent professional.
Step 8: Get an appraisal
Have the home appraised to confirm its market value.
Step 9: Confirm assistance
Before closing, check with FVHNS to make sure assistance can be provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it cost to buy a home?
These resources can help you estimate the costs involved:
- A nearby city's mortgage assistance program page
- A statewide homebuyer assistance website
- The state affordable housing corporation website
I already get rental help through a Housing Choice Voucher. Can I use it to buy a home and get help with the monthly costs?
Yes. If you meet the income and other eligibility rules, you can join the FVHNS Homeownership Voucher Program.
What if I don't have a voucher?
You will first need to apply for a Housing Choice Voucher.
Does the home have to meet any standards?
Yes. FVHNS will approve the purchase only after the home passes its initial housing quality standards inspection and a second inspection by an independent professional.
Which families can apply?
Families must meet all of these requirements:
- First-time buyer. The family is buying its first home or joining a housing cooperative.
- No recent ownership. No one in the family has owned, or held an ownership interest in, the home they lived in during the past three years.
- No other residential property. Except for cooperative members, no family member holds an ownership stake in any residential property.
- Minimum income. For families without a disability, the adults who will own the home must have qualifying annual income of at least the federal minimum hourly wage times 2,000 hours. For families with a disability, the owners' qualifying annual income must be at least twelve times the monthly federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payment for one person living alone. The housing authority may set a higher income floor for either group. Welfare assistance does not count toward the minimum, except for elderly families and families with a disability.
- Employment. Except for elderly families and families with a disability, at least one adult who will own the home must work full time now and must have worked full time without a break for at least a year before homeownership assistance begins.
- Counseling. The family must complete homeownership counseling with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency.
What counts as monthly homeownership expenses?
- Principal and interest on the mortgage
- Mortgage insurance premiums
- Property taxes and homeowners insurance
- Principal and interest on loans for major repairs or replacements to the home
- Principal and interest on loans for accessibility changes needed by a family member who has a disability, if the housing authority approves them as a reasonable accommodation
How much assistance can each voucher provide?
FVHNS sets the subsidy using the same payment standard schedule it uses for the regular voucher program. The housing assistance payment (HAP) is whichever of these two amounts is lower: (1) the payment standard less the total tenant payment, or (2) the family's monthly homeownership costs less the total tenant payment. FVHNS can send the HAP either to the family or straight to the lender.
What is the total tenant payment?
When Fredville Housing and Neighborhood Services calculates assistance, the family's monthly share is usually 30% of its adjusted monthly income. Contact us to learn more about how the total tenant payment is figured.
How much will I pay each month?
You will pay at least the total tenant payment, which is roughly 30% of your adjusted monthly income. If the home you buy costs more each month than the FVHNS assistance plus your 30% share, your family must cover the difference. To help families avoid buying homes they cannot afford, FVHNS may set affordability limits for the program.
Do I have to buy a home where my voucher was issued?
No. Eligible families may buy outside the original jurisdiction, as long as the housing authority in the new area runs a homeownership voucher program and is accepting new families. However, the voucher can only be used in an area where the family was income-eligible when it entered the program.
How long does assistance last?
Elderly families and families with a disability have no time limit. For all other families, assistance ends after 15 years if the original mortgage has a term of 20 years or more; in every other case the limit is 10 years.
Fredville Homeownership Fair
Join us for the 2026 Fredville Homeownership Fair, with sessions on buying a home, home repairs, avoiding foreclosure and more. There will be food and kids' activities, and everyone who pre-registers has a chance to win prizes.
Saturday, August 8, 2026, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mabel Pruitt Center, 2150 S. Wrenfield Parkway
Pre-register for the Homeownership Fair
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