HUD Delays Affect December Rent Payments for Thousands of Columbus Tenants
Columbus, Ohio — Thousands of residents across Franklin County are still waiting for December rent payments as the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) continues to face federal funding delays from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
As of December 4, CMHA confirmed that more than 13,000 Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) tenants have not had their rent paid because HUD has not released the full monthly allocation required for the program. The issue is nationwide, according to the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), which reports similar delays among other housing authorities.
The Housing Choice Voucher program helps low-income renters by allowing tenants to pay an income-based portion of their rent while CMHA covers the rest using federal funds.
CMHA stressed that landlords are not permitted to evict tenants due to the temporary payment delay. To keep renters stable, the agency has also provided utility assistance so residents can stay current on essential bills.
Tenants are encouraged to continue paying their usual portion of rent while CMHA waits for HUD to release the withheld funding. Once those funds are received, CMHA says it will immediately distribute full payments to affected landlords.
HUD announced on December 1 that agencies with deficits in their Housing Assistance Payment budgets would experience delays. Payments are expected to reach banks by the end of this week or early next week, though banks may require additional processing time before transferring funds to individual agencies. NAHRO also warned that similar delays may occur in January.
This is not the first time CMHA has experienced payment disruptions. In early 2024, the agency ended a contract with the private company managing its voucher program after ongoing complaints about late payments, lost paperwork, and communication issues. Although CMHA resumed internal management in March, some landlords continued to face delays due to a major software transition. Several rental payments were still unresolved as late as July.
CMHA says its priority remains protecting tenants’ housing stability and ensuring landlords are paid as soon as federal funding becomes available.
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