Portion of new Marion apartment complex to offer subsidized housing

In collaboration with the Marion Municipal Housing Authority (MHA), eight of the 56 units in the Harding Village complex on Fairground Street in Marion will be reserved for project-based vouchers, offering subsidized housing for Marion residents.

Lisa Wellhausen, executive director of Marion MHA, said the move will provide homes for a community that needs it.

“Finding affordable housing (in Marion) is getting more difficult as time goes on … I don’t see any signs that it will change in the future,” Wellhausen said.

Data compiled by Zillow.com reports the median rent price in Marion is $925 a month, a $225 difference since last May.

A project-based voucher works by partnering with a certain development to reserve housing units to be subsidized for low-income individuals and families. This differs from housing-based voucher programs, which allot a certain amount of funds and parameters to allow an individual to choose housing.

Wellhausen said she is “happy to be partnering with Harding Village” in bringing this opportunity to Marion residents.

There is 50-spot waitlist for the units. It opened at 8 a.m. Feb. 5. The waitlist will be closed once all 50 spots are filled. Applicants for the Section 8 vouchers are not automatically added to the waitlist for the project-based Vouchers.

Once applicants apply, they will be recommended to apply for and be approved by the Harding Village development.

Applications can be found at marionmha.org.