How does housing choice voucher work

You will need to contact the housing authority where you want to live to get on a Section 8 Voucher waiting list should one of the waiting lists be open. Waiting lists for vouchers are often long or closed. HousingLink cannot tell you about your individual status on a waiting list, but we do maintain a list of which housing authorities have waiting list openings. Do I qualify? I have a voucher. How do I find a place that will accept it? If you are currently on our HCV waiting list, we will contact you by U.

Mail at the time your name reaches the top of the list. If you are eligible for a voucher at that time, the HCV program will pay a portion of the rent for the eligible housing of your choice. To qualify, a family must meet income and family size requirements.

These figures are based on the median family income and size for the region. The wait time to be approved can be long, and preference will be given to families who are currently homeless, living in substandard housing conditions, or paying inflated rental costs.

Inflated rental costs are generally considered to be more than 50 percent of the regional average. Families are able to move from one housing unit to another due to income or job status changes, or the addition of family members. The voucher program thus attempts to provide mobility without losing housing benefits. Beneficiaries with vouchers sign leases with property owners with this program. With subsidized housing, residents sign leases with property managers who oversee federally owned projects.

Public housing is commonly also referred to as housing projects, which are government-funded housing facilities that cater to low-income families and the elderly. Although they may experience overlap with families who qualify for the housing voucher program, public housing is specifically directed at people who would not otherwise qualify for housing in the private sector.

The income requirements are different as well, meaning that these facilities are suited to tenants whose income may be too low to qualify for a housing voucher. Tenants are eligible to remain in public housing for as long as they are current on their lease, and their income does not increase beyond the standard minimum, which varies by region. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Accessed Jan. Retirement Planning. Income Tax. Your Privacy Rights. Eligibility for a 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. 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 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 waiting list, the PHA will contact you and issue to you a housing voucher.

How do I apply? If you are interested in applying for a voucher, contact the local PHA. For further assistance, please contact the HUD Office nearest to you. Local preferences and waiting list - what are they and how do they affect me? Since the demand for housing assistance often exceeds the limited resources available to HUD and the local housing agencies, long waiting periods are common. In fact, a PHA may close its waiting list when it has more families on the list than can be assisted in the near future.

PHAs may establish local preferences for selecting applicants from its waiting list. Families who qualify for any such local preferences move ahead of other families on the list who do not qualify for any preference. Each PHA has the discretion to establish local preferences to reflect the housing needs and priorities of its particular community. Housing vouchers - how do they function? The housing choice voucher program places the choice of housing in the hands of the individual family.