Section 8 Project Based Housing (Dew House)

The Dew House, a former hotel, is a historical landmark in southeastern Ohio. Thomas Dew, a settler that had migrated from Maryland in 1819, originally constructed the Dew House in 1830. The original building was a two-story brick structure. The basement of the Dew House originally was home to a tavern, with steps leading to it from Columbus Street. In 1871, artist and photographer Thomas Sansome Nutter and his wife Annettie Mitchell were the proprietors of the Dew Hotel. Annettie Mitchell Nutter was the grand daughter of a coal mine operator Clement Fay. James Dew, known as Senator Dew, acquired the hotel in 1876 and added the third story and later the porch. Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, spoke in Nelsonville from the porch of the Dew House during his presidential campaign in 1912.

Project Rental Subsidies

Housing Subsidies are paid to owners on behalf of tenants to keep the amount that tenants pay for rent, affordable. This assistance is tied to the property and differs in that aspect from tenant-based rental assistance programs (e.g., Housing Choice Vouchers), where the subsidy follows the tenant when a tenant moves to another property.

New Construction and Substantial Rehabilitation Contracts under this program were repealed by Congress in 1983. Prior to that date, public housing authorities or private owners placed applications with HUD to either construct new projects or substantially rehabilitate an existing structure. HUD provided Section 8 project-based assistance for up to 20 or 40 years after completion of the construction or substantial rehabilitation of rental housing. The Section 8 financial assistance provided a subsidy that helped bridge the gap between the rents needed to make a project feasible and the rents affordable to the tenants. Financing was provided by commercial lending institutions and often insured by HUD through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or a State Financing Agency. HUD has not approved any new projects since 1983, but projects approved prior to that still receive subsidy.

HUD – Subsidized Multifamily Properties represent an important and valuable resource in addressing the nation’s affordable housing needs. The successful delivery of this housing resource to the people who need it depends on effective occupancy policies and procedures. HUD’s occupancy requirements and procedures ensure that eligible applicants are selected for occupancy, receive the proper level of assistance, and the tenants are treated fairly and consistently.

Eligibility Criteria: There are five eligibility requirements for admission to Dew House –

1. Qualifies as a family

2. Has an income within the income limits

3. Meets citizenship/eligible immigrant criteria

4. Provides documentation of Social Security Numbers

5. Signs consent authorization documents.

Applying for Assistance: Families wishing to apply for the Dew House will be required to complete an application.  Applications will be accepted during regular business hours at:

The Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority
Administrative Offices
10 Hope Drive
Athens, Ohio 45701

Applications are taken to compile a waiting list.

When the waiting list is open, completed applications will be accepted from all applicants. The Dew House will later verify the information in the applications relevant to the applicant’s eligibility, admission, and level of benefit.

Applications will be mailed to interested families upon request.

The date and time of application will be recorded upon receipt.

Persons with disabilities who require a reasonable accommodation in completing an application may call the AMHA at (740) 592-4481 to make special arrangements to complete their application. The hearing impaired should call “Ohio Relay Services” at 1-800-750-0750.

We work closely with you to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing opportunities.
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