The Providence Homeowners Association will allow Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher tenants to finish their current leases before moving, according to an update sent to residents Tuesday evening.
The announcement is a reversal for the HOA, which first told landlords they would begin receiving $300 fines 30 days after the passing of the association’s new rental and leasing rules June 6. After several news reports, the association instead said in a June 15 announcement that the HOA would begin enforcement 90 days after the rules were recorded with the county. Landlords with voucher tenants would then have 30 days to comply after receiving notice of violation.
“The Providence Homeowners Association has learned that we not only have voucher recipients from Denton County but Dallas County as well, making the total residents on Section 8 subsidized housing almost double the amount previously anticipated,” the Tuesday night announcement read. “Considering this new information, the Board [of Directors] has agreed to allow all Section 8 tenants with a current existing lease dated on or before June 15, 2022, and not to exceed a 12-month lease term, the ability to finish out their leases.”
More than 600 residents from 157 households were expected to be displaced by the new leasing rules, according to data from the Denton and Dallas housing authorities.
The ban was the subject of pushback from local and state groups including low-income housing advocates Texas Housers, the Texas Homeless Network and United Way of Denton County, which penned a letter June 17 asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the leasing rules for a potential violation of the Fair Housing Act. The act prohibits discrimination based on race and other protected classes. Over 90% of the voucher holders in Providence Village are Black.
The Denton Housing Authority also urged tenants not to move after the voucher ban was initially publicized, while several property owners in the area with Section 8 tenants consulted with an attorney about filing an injunction to stop the HOA from enforcing the rules.
Tenants on month-to-month leases or those with expired leases will have until Sept. 6 to vacate, according to Tuesday’s announcement. All rental properties must be registered with the HOA office by that date.
The Denton Record-Chronicle has reached out to the HOA and Denton Housing Authority for comment.
AMBER GAUDET can be reached at 940-566-6889 and via Twitter at @amb_balam.
