Nashville residents on the hunt for affordable housing may soon find relief as the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) announced the opening of waitlists for nearly one hundred project-based voucher units, which offer rental assistance to qualifying low-and moderate-income households. Starting from March 26 at noon and running through April 1 at 3 p.m., applications will be open for two new housing developments, according to the details shared by the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency.
In a departure from typical first-come, first-serve policies, the agency stated that all applications made within the designated period have a chance to be placed near the top of the list. As reported by WSMV, "within 30 days, applicants will receive a follow-up email confirming whether the pre-application has been accepted and placed on the waiting list or rejected." Interested parties are encouraged to apply online around the clock during the open application period at www.nashville-mdha.org.
The new housing options consist of Shelby House, located at 402 Shelby Ave., which will offer 48 units and is expected to begin leasing in the spring of 2024, and Chestnut Hill at 101 Factory St., which will bring 51 units to the market during the same time frame. This information was shared by NewsChannel 5.
MDHA also detailed a lottery system that will be used to randomly assign a number to each application, determining the order in which applicants will be placed on the waiting list. Nevertheless, with only 500 applications to be placed on each waiting list, and a limited number of vouchers available per site, the chances might be slim. For those in need of internet access or assistance with the application process, MDHA staff will be on hand with a limited number of computers at their Rental Assistance Office, and applicants may also use public libraries, where appointments are not required for computer access.
The project-based voucher approach, similar to the Tenant-Based Voucher Program, represents a more fixed form of rental assistance, where aid is tied to specific units rather than to the tenant. "Eligible families only receive assistance while living in the PBV unit," explained the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, highlighting that families are selected from the waiting lists and referred to property owners to fill vacancies. This approach highlights MDHA's commitment to providing sustainable housing options to Nashville's vulnerable populations while maintaining a systematically fair process for application and selection.
