The Aurora housing authority has been awarded federal vouchers designed to help people with disabilities live independently.
In a statement Monday, the Housing Authority of the City of Aurora said it collaborated with Atlantis Community Inc. and Developmental Pathways, which work with people with disabilities, and the Aurora Mental Health Center to apply for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 811 Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher Program. It received 40 rental assistance vouchers worth a total of $492,106 a year. Recipients will be able to use the vouchers for as long as needed.
Six other Colorado housing agencies, including the state Division of Housing, also received vouchers in the national program.
Section 811 supports low-income, non-elderly people with disabilities who are leaving institutional or similar settings and are homeless or at risk of institutionalization or homelessness. The vouchers can be used by people who are eligible and their families. Public housing authorities administer the vouchers and local health and human services agencies provide support services.
Craig A. Maraschky, executive director of Aurora's housing authority, said in the statement that the demand for any type of affordable housing in his Denver suburb was "huge.
"Consequently, we are very pleased to offer assistance to these very needy individuals."
The vouchers will not be released until early 2019. The statement urged those interested to check the authority's website and the Aurora Sentinel in early 2019 for announcements on how to apply for vouchers.
