MaineHousing announces Owner Excellence Program

28 Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher property owners, landlords to be honored

AUGUSTA – June 8, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — MaineHousing will honor 28 exceptional property owners and landlords who participate in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program during the agency’s first Owner Excellence Program ceremony on Tuesday, June 9, in Augusta.

MaineHousing Director John Gallagher and HCV Program Director Lauren Bustard will thank the property owners and landlords at a ceremony which begins at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, June 9, at Bangor Savings Bank, 5 Senator Road (off Western Avenue) in Augusta.

MaineHousing’s new Owner Excellence Program recognizes and rewards Section 8 HCV program participants who have solid property management skills and demonstrate a high level of dedication to their properties and their tenants.

“The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program provides individuals and families with low incomes a chance to have a quality place to live ” said MaineHousing Director John Gallagher. “The outstanding property owners and landlords we honor through the Owner Excellence Program also know how important it is to have a home and work to ensure a strong relationship with their tenants.”

The Section 8 property owners or landlords being honored had a lease with an active tenant in the HCV program during the past year, and do not have a history of Housing Assistance Payment abatements, Fair Housing violations, or serious complaints on file. Also, they do not have a history of failure to enforce a lease, manage a unit, or follow other Section 8 HCV program rules or state laws, plus other requirements.

MaineHousing also asks property owners or landlords to list their available housing units on MaineHousingSearch.org, a free rental listing site for Section 8 HCV or market-rate landlords.

The 28 landlords represent 101 properties in: Mexico, Auburn, Rumford, Mars Hill, Bangor, Waterville, Oakland, Saco, Biddeford, Lisbon, Waldoboro, Kittery, Fryeburg, Brownfield, South Paris, Lincoln, Thomaston, Leeds, Fairfield, Fort Kent, Kennebunk, Damariscotta, Searsport, Augusta, Rockland, Wiscasset, Farmington, Denmark, Corinna, Belfast, Norway, Skowhegan, Houlton, Madawaska, Calais, South Berwick, Gray and New Sharon.

Each month, MaineHousing’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program provides rental assistance to more than 3,800 income-eligible low-income tenants by subsidizing a portion of their monthly rent and utilities and paying it directly to their landlords. The assistance provided is the difference between what the tenant pays toward rent (generally 30-40% of the household’s adjusted gross income) and the cost of the rent.

The Owner Excellence Program property owners and landlords being recognized are:

ABL Management LLC
Avesta Cousens Housing LP (Two properties)
C & C Realty Management
Betty Pooler
Bread of Life Ministries
Bruce MacDonald
Calvin Burgess
Cathleen Manchester
Community Housing of Maine (Nine properties)
Community Concepts, Inc. (Four properties)
Dalton Scovil
Daniel Frazel
Facilities, Inc.
James Russell Tarason
Kent Stevens
Lawrence Sturgeon
Leonard Bard
Mark Leo Cyr
Matthew M Smith
Patterson Hill Housing Associates, LP
Roddy Theriault
Ronald St Amand
Rural Community Action Ministry
S And S Properties
Salvatore DiStefano
Troy Ripley
York County Shelter Programs, Inc
Gerald Hotel Associates, LP

Contact: Deborah Turcotte
MaineHousing Public Information Manager
(207) 626-4600 or (cell) 242-1904