96 Landlords Will Accept County Housing Vouchers

Houses on S. Howell Ave. in Bay View. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Milwaukee County’s Housing Division reports that 96 landlords joined a program created to incentivize landlords to accept housing vouchers.

The program, called Landlord Incentives to Foster Tenancy (LIFT), was created more than a year ago. It provides participating landlords financial guarantees covering property damage or lost rent in exchange for “screening flexibility” for renters using a housing voucher or county rent assistance program.

The Housing Division wanted to expand the number of landlords partnering with the county on its rent assistance programs, the majority of which are used to help people leave street homelessness for stable housing. For this population, a lack of rental history, poor credit, a history of eviction and a criminal record are common barriers to securing housing.

The LIFT program asks landlords to disregard these things, as well as waive any application fees, in exchange for the county guarantees to cover damage or lost rent. More than 290 households have been offered this “flexible screening criteria,” according to the housing division.

Milwaukee is reportedly one of the most competitive housing markets in the country. Landlords see an average of eight applications per listing, according to an analysis by RentCafe reported in The Wall Street Journal.

The LIFT program was created after policymakers struggled to find a solution to housing voucher discrimination that actually worked. Some renters face discrimination from landlords who refuse to rent to them because they plan to use a housing voucher.

In 2018, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance banning housing voucher discrimination. But the mechanism for enforcement proved overly complicated for residents facing discrimination, and the board never funded any staff to focus on the issue. By 2023, zero complaints of housing voucher discrimination had been filed.

Federal Section 8 housing vouchers guarantee recipients do not have to spend more than 30% to 40% of their income on rent, with the federal funds making up the difference.

The Housing Division, which primarily focuses on street homelessness in Milwaukee County, uses housing vouchers to place residents in emergency and long-term housing.

Housing officials saw the LIFT program as an opportunity to help residents facing housing voucher discrimination and expand the number of landlords that agree to house residents seeking housing with Section 8 vouchers. Of the 96 landlords who have joined, nearly half of them are new to the county’s rental assistance programs, according to the housing division. The units these landlords rent are inspected by officials before they are rented to county clients.

The county created the program with a $365,655 funding allocation in 2024. To incentivize participation, the program provides landlords up to three times the contract rent for damages and an amount equal to the contract rent for rent payments lost to unexpected vacancy. To date, approximately 10% of program funds have been paid out on landlord claims, with the average being $1,761.65, according to the housing division.

Housing officials consider the program a success for increasing landlord participation in county housing programs and making it easier for vulnerable homeless residents to find housing.

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