Public Housing Resources

HOW TO PAY RENT

Rent is due on the first working day of each month to Opportunity Home San Antonio. Opportunity Home has rules regarding late payments and non-payment of rent. These rules are in your resident handbook and lease.

Pay Online
Residents can pay online through JetPay (Collector Solutions). Residents will need the account number found at the bottom of the rent statement, along with a bank routing and account number.

JetPay charges a $1 processing fee with payment made through an electronic check and charges a 2.7 percent fee with payments made with a credit or debit card. A minimum of $2 will be charged with a credit or debit card.

JetPay will not accept payment from an account with two or more declined transactions. If a payment is not accepted, either enter information from a different account or use another rent payment option below.

Mail in a Payment
Residents can mail in payment through the self-addressed, stamped envelope included with the monthly rent statement. If residents do not have a rent statement or self-addressed, stamped envelope call or email property staff to get the account balance and account number.

Residents can also can write an account number on a check or money order and mail it to:
Opportunity Home San Antonio
P.O. Box 569
San Antonio, TX 78292-9901

Information has to be entered exactly as it is shown above, or the USPS may not accept it and Opportunity Home will not receive it. The envelope must be postmarked (by USPS) by the 1st or 2nd of the month so it is received by the 5th business day.

Set up Automatic Withdrawal
Have rent auto-paid through Automated Clearing House (ACH) Payments. ACH Payments requires a bank account, which will be automatically debited on a set day each month.

Download the Auto Debit Authorization Form and email it to your property manager with a voided check.

Recertification

All Opportunity Home residents must complete a recertification to determine each family’s continued eligibility for housing under HUD/Opportunity Home guidelines to include appropriate unit size, monthly rent, family income and household composition.

The re-certification process can be primarily handled by the property office staff for your community. Under certain circumstances, home visits may be scheduled.

Triennial Recertifications
All residents (family, elderly and disabled residents) will need to re-certify their eligibility every three years. Every family has the option of completing an interim recertification at any time, if there is a change in family composition, reduction in income or an increase in medical expenses. Recertifying every three years reduces inconvenience to residents and increases operational efficiency.

Up-Front Income Verification (UIV)
Opportunity Home utilizes the Up-Front Income Verification (UIV) system to validate income information reported by participants in both the Public Housing and Section 8 programs. The UIV system electronically utilizes independent sources, such as those maintained by the Social Security Administration, state wage information collection agencies and private vendors, to confirm income figures provided by families when they apply for the program and during the recertification process. Knowingly under reporting income may result in the assessment of back charges, termination of assistance and/or prosecution through the District Attorney’s office.

Changes of Income and/or Family Composition
All changes in family income, composition or status must be reported to your community’s property manager within 10 calendar days of occurrence. Failure to report changes can result in retroactive rent increases or lease terminations. Additional household members may not be allowed to move-in until they are approved by Opportunity Home.

To report a change in your income, please send an email with your name, address, property name and contact information to [email protected]. To process your change more quickly, you may also fill out this Public Housing Change of Income Packet and email the packet and any supporting documents to your Community Manager.

Resident Obligations
All adult household members must attend re-certification appointments and sign necessary forms required by Opportunity Home/HUD. All adult family members must do the following, including when added to the household at recertification:

  • Provide proof of income
  • Meet the HUD requirements on citizenship or immigration status
  • Provide their Social Security card, or application for a Social Security number, for household members ages 6 and older
  • Not owe Opportunity Home monies from either the Public Housing or Section 8 Voucher Program (only applies to new family members added at recertification, not current residents)
  • Not have had a lease terminated by Opportunity Home in the past 12 months

CONTACT US

PUBLIC HOUSING POLICY

RESIDENT’S HANDBOOK

WORK ORDER

All Public Housing residents can make a request for service by calling the Maintenance Work Order Center at 210.477.6800.

For after-hours emergencies, also call 210.477.6800. On-Call maintenance staff will respond to requests. For emergencies such as fire, floods, or criminal activity, please dial 9-1-1 immediately.

When requesting a work order, please provide the necessary information such as address, a description of the work required, permission to enter, and phone number. If repairs are needed, either the resident or Opportunity Home may initiate a work order.

Please retain a work order number for reference.

TRANSFER REQUEST

Opportunity Home allows public housing residents to transfer under certain circumstances which affect health or safety. Acceptable reasons for transfers include requests for reasonable accommodations (disabled residents), to allow modernization or construction, or as an incentive.

Residents requesting transfers must meet the following requirements:

  • Be a resident of at least one year
  • Ability to pass a criminal history request
  • Have not engaged in criminal activity that threatens the health and safety of residents and staff
  • Not owe back rent or other charges, or have a pattern of late payment (no more than two repayment agreements, or unpaid balances at any time in the past year)
  • Have no housekeeping lease violations or history of damaging property
  • Ability to get utilities connected in the name of the head of household (applicable to properties with tenant-paid utilities)
  • No history of disturbances in lease violations or violence toward staff or neighbors as indicated by notices of violation in the applicant’s file

Emergency Rental Assistance Funds

If you are a Public Housing resident and your family is experiencing financial hardship due to an emergency such as the death of a household member, a medical emergency, severe illness, or disability, you may apply for up to three months of rental assistance through the application below.

Applicants must meet eligibility criteria and submit required documentation listed on the application in order to qualify.
 
Apply

Si usted es residente de una Vivienda Pública y su familia está atravesando dificultades económicas debido a una emergencia, como la muerte de un miembro del hogar, una emergencia médica, una enfermedad grave o una discapacidad, puede solicitar hasta tres meses de asistencia para el alquiler a través de la solicitud que se encuentra a continuación.

Los solicitantes deben cumplir con los criterios de elegibilidad y presentar la documentación requerida que se detalla en la solicitud para calificar.
 
Aplicar

Eligibility

  • Emergency assistance funds are limited and will only be awarded to qualifying residents on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted.
  • Opportunity Home will notify applicants when their application has been approved or denied. If your application is approved, the notification will state the amount of assistance Opportunity Home will pay toward your rental payments.
  • Residents who have a past rental balance are not automatically eligible for these funds.

Applicants must meet the criteria below:

  • Be a resident of Public Housing
  • Have income below 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI) 
  • Experience one of the qualifying events below after August 1, 2024, which has impacted your ability to pay rent:
    • The death of a Head of Household, Spouse, or Co-Head
    • The loss of income or increases in medical expenses due to a severe illness or disability of a Head of Household, Spouse, or Co-Head
    • A medical emergency involving the Head of Household, Spouse, or Co-Head that increases medical expenses

Any of the following documents will be accepted as proof of your circumstances:

Death of the Head of Household, Spouse, or Co-Head

  • Death Certificate 
  • Funeral Card
  • Obituary
  • Letter from a Funeral Home

Loss of income or increases in medical expenses due to a severe illness or disability of a Head of Household, Spouse, or Co-Head

  • A letter or completed Certification Form from a knowledgeable professional to certify the date of the illness/disability
  • Documentation of medical expenses, including invoices or receipts for doctor visits, medical equipment, etc. 

A medical emergency involving the Head of Household, Spouse, or Co-Head that increases medical expenses

  • Hospitalization records. These must include the dates the resident was hospitalized or any documentation with dates they were out of work due to hospitalization or recovery time
  • Documentation of medical expenses, including invoices or receipts for doctor visits, medical equipment
  • A letter or completed Certification Form from a knowledgeable professional to certify the date(s) of the medical emergency

Please contact 210.477.6000 or [email protected] with any questions.