How Do You Apply For Section 8 Housing?

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The Section 8 and Subsidized Housing Online Packet is a tool intended to educate the public about various resources and programs for a low income person. The Online Packet also makes it easier for it's members to find landlords, tenants and links to open waiting lists online for various grant opportunities and rental assistance programs.

Find Section 8 housing in your area with the Online Packet

What is Section 8 Housing?

Rental subsidy programs are for US citizens that meet HUD's median low income requirements. Like Section 8 housing, Public Housing is also a rental assistance program. Public Housing however, allows a tenant to move into an apartment complex that is owned by the housing authority while they pay roughly 30% of their monthly income toward rent. This process is always free.

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses and apartments.

The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects.

Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by Section 8 housing and or public housing agencies(PHAs). The PHAs receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program.

A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program. This unit may include the family's present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by the PHA.

A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the PHA on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. Under certain circumstances, if authorized by the PHA, a family may use its voucher to purchase a modest home if they have completed a Section 8 application in Los Angeles, California or any city in the US.

How do I qualify for Section 8 housing?

Eligibility for a Section 8 housing voucher is determined by the PHA based on the total annual gross income and family size and is limited to US citizens and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status. In general, the family's income may not exceed 50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which the family chooses to live. By law, a PHA must provide 75 percent of its voucher to applicants whose incomes do not exceed 30 percent of the area median income. Median income levels are published by HUD and vary by location. The PHA serving your community can provide you with the income limits for your area and family size.

During the application process, the PHA will collect information on family income, assets, and family composition. The PHA will verify this information with other local agencies, your employer and bank, and will use the information to determine program eligibility and the amount of the Section 8 housing assistance payment.

If the PHA determines that your family is eligible, the PHA will put your name on a waiting list, unless it is able to assist you immediately. Once your name is reached on the Section 8 waiting list, the PHA will contact you and issue to you a housing voucher.

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