(DailyChive.com) – The housing choice voucher program, aka Section 8, is one of the largest housing programs of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It provides low-income families and disabled and elderly persons with housing vouchers to offset a portion of their monthly housing costs. Depending on the size of the family or an applicant’s special needs, housing choice vouchers can be used for a range of apartments, townhomes, and single-family houses.
How Does the Housing Choice Voucher Program Work?
Housing choice vouchers are distributed by various public housing agencies (PHAs) on behalf of the HUD. With housing choice vouchers, eligible US citizens and non-citizens can choose from a range of housing options, much as they would when searching for housing on the open market.
The options aren’t restricted to subsidized housing projects, where agencies provide funds to apartment owners, and they agree to reduce rental costs. Instead, the housing choice program provides vouchers to renters, who can then search for suitable housing that meets certain criteria.
When they find the right place to live, they offset a portion of the rental costs with their voucher. The property owner then exchanges the voucher for federal funds, reducing the out-of-pocket expenses to the renter, who must pay 30% of their monthly adjusted gross income on rent and utilities.
Available Housing Options
Property owners who accept housing choice vouchers must maintain habitable, sanitary, and safe units according to HUD guidelines. The different PHA jurisdictions maintain their own list of “housing choice voucher landlords.” These are landlords whose properties are periodically inspected to ensure they meet housing quality standards that take into account factors such as:
- Accessibility
- Location
- Safety
- Security
- Indoor air quality
- Electricity and lighting
- Lead-based paint content
- Thermal regulation
- Sanitation
Landlords also must show that their proposed rent is “reasonable compared to similar units” (in their market). They also aren’t allowed to raise rates for voucher holders. Approved landlords are then able to advertise vacant units to voucher holders, often through websites or platforms run by their PHA.
Eligibility for Housing Choice Vouchers
The PHA determines eligibility for housing choice voucher program participants primarily based on income levels — not more than 50% of the median income in the PHA’s boundaries. Three-quarters of a PHA’s voucher funds must be given to those with incomes at or below 30% of the median income level.
As mentioned, applicants must be US citizens or non-citizens with approved immigration status. Family size and special needs are taken into account during applications, along with:
- Assets
- Family composition
- Family income (collectively)
- Employment
The Approval Process
The PHA analyzes these factors to decide whether to approve an applicant and, if so, their monthly voucher amount. Often, approved applicants are placed on waiting lists before they start receiving their vouchers. PHAs sometimes even close their waiting lists, if they are particularly full.
Demand for housing choice vouchers often exceeds available resources, and PHAs are at liberty to set certain ranking criteria and preferences for who is approved first. Rather than first-come, first-served, a PHA may give preferred wait-list positions to those who are:
- Homeless or in substandard housing
- Spending more than 50% of their income on rent
- Involuntarily displaced
How To Learn More About the Housing Choice Voucher Program
If you think you might be eligible for housing vouchers or other housing programs, you can learn more, including how to apply, by contacting your local PHA. Alternatively, your local HUD office can provide additional assistance for less straightforward questions (such as if you’re considering multiple PHAs or moving from one PHA jurisdiction to another).
For more granular information about the housing choice voucher program’s controlling regulations, see title 24, section 982 of the Code of Federal Regulations (24 CFR 982: “Section 8 Tenant-Based Assistance: Housing Choice Voucher Program”).
Note that there are several other housing assistance programs that you may qualify for. If the housing choice voucher program in your area is full or you don’t meet their income limits, look into these other housing resources:
- Foreclosure Avoidance Counseling
- HUD Resource Locator
- Public and Indian Housing (PIH) Information and Resource Center
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