Landlord incentives provide more affordable housing

The Greenville Housing Authority (TGHA) is working to strengthen relationships with landlords through new incentives in its Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Those new incentives include one month’s contract rent for first-time landlords who work with a housing authority client, as well as vacancy loss claim payments and up to two month’s rent for damage claims.

“Our focus is on improving and understanding the relationships with landlords, with the end goal of increasing the number of landlords that want to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Program,” says Terril Bates, interim CEO for the Greenville Housing Authority.

TGHA currently serves more than 3,000 people through the program, which bridges the gap between affordable and private rent. There are 308 households that are currently on the voucher waitlist. “We’re looking for ways to cushion or mitigate risk for landlords and to allow them to be more comfortable in making a decision to assist one of the 308 households that we have out looking for housing now,” Bates adds.

More than $25 million was paid to private landlords in 2023 with the Housing Choice Voucher program.

GHA Board Chair Racquel Collier says the organization has streamlined its processes. “We have new leadership who has established new incentives like vacancy loss, or being able to help landlords get additional payments where they normally wouldn’t have,” Collier said.