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There are 751 low-income apartments in Santa Maria that offer reduced rents to eligible households. Low-income rents in Santa Maria, California can range from $945 to $1,089 depending on the number of bedrooms.
Rental assistance programs support 438 low-income homes in Santa Maria where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $524 towards rent each month.
Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on August 29th, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.
Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.
Housing Authority | Programs |
---|---|
Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara | Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing |
Santa Maria features 438 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.
There are 751 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Santa Maria.
On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Santa Maria landlords $1,100 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Santa Maria.
The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Santa Maria, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $2,695 and $3,293.
Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Studio | One BR | Two BR | Three BR | Four BR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Santa Maria, California Fair Market Rent | $2,330 | $2,651 | $2,994 | $3,996 | $4,528 |
Santa Maria, California Payment Standard Range | $2,097 to $2,563 | $2,386 to $2,916 | $2,695 to $3,293 | $3,596 to $4,396 | $4,075 to $4,981 |
Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.
Total Affordable Apartment Properties | 28 |
---|---|
Total Low Income Apartments | 1,198 |
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance | 438 |
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters | 50.68% |
Average Renter Household Size | 4.08 |
Average Household Size | 3.71 |
Median Household Income | $50,433 ±$2,026 |
Median Rent | $1,162 ±$34 |
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened | 56.8% ± 3.33pp |
Total Population | 102,618 |
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, California with a population of 102,618. There are 27,365 households in the city with an average household size of 3.71 persons. 50.68% of households in Santa Maria are renters.
The median gross income for households in Santa Maria is $50,433 a year, or $4,203 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,162 a month.
Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Santa Maria, a household making less than $3,873 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 56.8% of households who rent are overburdened in Santa Maria.
Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.
HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Santa Maria, the AMI is calculated from all households within Santa Barbara County.
In Santa Maria, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $107,300
Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.
Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.
1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 30% of the Santa Maria AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households. |
$31,050 | $35,500 | $39,950 | $44,350 | $47,900 | $51,450 | $55,000 | $58,550 |
50% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 50% of the Santa Maria AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households. |
$51,800 | $59,200 | $66,600 | $73,950 | $79,900 | $85,800 | $91,700 | $97,650 |
80% AMI Income Limits Renters earning up to 80% of the Santa Maria AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households. |
$82,950 | $94,800 | $106,650 | $118,500 | $128,000 | $137,500 | $146,950 | $156,450 |