HAs use income limits developed by HUD. HUD sets the lower income limits at 80% and very low income limits at 50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which you choose to live. Income limits vary from area to area so you may be eligible at one HA but not at another. The HA serving your community can provide you with the income levels for your area and family size, or you can also find the income limits here on the internet.

Q. HOW DO I APPLY?

If you are interested in applying for public housing, contact your local HA. If you have trouble contacting the HA, contact the local HUD Field Office.
 

Q. HOW DOES THE APPLICATION PROCESS WORK?

A. The application must be written. Either you or the HA representative will fill it out. An HA usually needs to collect the following information to determine eligibility:

(1) Names of all persons who would be living in the unit, their sex, date of birth, and relationship to the family head;
(2) Your present address and telephone number;
(3) Family characteristics (e.g., veteran) or circumstances (e.g., living in substandard housing) that might qualify the family for tenant selection preferences;
(4) Names and addresses of your current and previous landlords for information about your family's suitability as a tenant;
(5) An estimate of your family's anticipated income for the next twelve months and the sources of that income;
(6) The names and addresses of employers, banks, and any other information the HA would need to verify your income and deductions, and to verify the family composition; and
(7) The PHA also may visit you in your home to interview you and your family members to see how you manage the upkeep of you current home.

After obtaining this information, the HA representative should describe the public housing program and its requirements, and answer any questions you might have.
 

Q. WILL I NEED TO PRODUCE ANY DOCUMENTATION?

A. Yes, the HA representative will request whatever documentation is needed (e.g., birth certificates, tax returns) to verify the information given on your application. The PHA will also rely on direct verification from your employer, etc. You will be asked to sign a form to authorize release of pertinent information to the PHA.
 

Q. WHEN WILL I BE NOTIFIED?

A. An HA has to provide written notification. If the HA determines that you are eligible, your name will be put on a waiting list, unless the HA is able to assist you immediately. Once your name is reached on the waiting list, the HA will contact you. If it is determined that you are ineligible, the HA must say why and, if you wish, you can request an informal hearing.
 

Q. WILL I HAVE TO SIGN A LEASE?

A. If you are offered a house or apartment and accept it, you will have to sign a lease with the HA. You may have to give the HA a security deposit. You and the HA representative should go over the lease together. This will give you a better understanding of your responsibilities as a tenant and the HA's responsibilities as a landlord.
 

Q. ARE THERE ANY SELECTION PREFERENCES?

A. Sometimes there are. Giving preference to specific groups of families enables an HA to direct their limited housing resources to the families with the greatest housing needs. Since the demand for housing assistance often exceeds the limited resources available to HUD and the local HAs, long waiting periods are common. In fact, an HA may close its waiting list when there are more families on the list than can be assisted in the near future.
Each HA has the discretion to establish preferences to reflect needs in its own community. These preferences will be included in the HAs written policy manual. You should ask what preferences they honor so you will know whether you qualify for a preference.
 

Q. HOW IS RENT DETERMINED?

A. Your rent, which is referred to as the Total Tenant Payment (TTP) in this program, would be based on your family's anticipated gross annual income less deductions, if any. HUD regulations allow HAs to exclude from annual income the following allowances: $480 for each dependent; $400 for any elderly family, or a person with a disability; and some medical deductions for families headed by an elderly person or a person with disabilities. Based on your application, the HA representative will determine if any of the allowable deductions should be subtracted from your annual income. Annual income is the anticipated total income from all sources received from the family head and spouse, and each additional member of the family 18 years of age or older.
The formula used in determining the TTP is the highest of the following, rounded to the nearest dollar:
(1) 30 percent of the monthly adjusted income. (Monthly Adjusted Income is annual income less deductions allowed by the regulations);
(2) 10 percent of monthly income;
(3) welfare rent, if applicable; or
(4) a $25 minimum rent or higher amount (up to $50) set by an HA.
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Q. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HA?

A. An HA is responsible for the management and operation of its local public housing program. They may also operate other types of housing programs.
(1) On-going functions: (a) Assure compliance with leases. The lease must be signed by both parties; (b) Set other charges (e.g., security deposit, excess utility consumption, and damages to unit); (c) Perform periodic reexaminations of the family's income at least once every 12 months; (d) Transfer families from one unit to another, in order to correct over/under crowding, repair or renovate a dwelling, or because of a resident's request to be transferred; (e) Terminate leases when necessary; and (f) maintain the development in a decent, safe, and sanitary condition.
(2) Sometimes HAs provide other services, which might include such things as: homeownership opportunities for qualified families; employment training opportunities, and other special training and employment programs for residents; and support programs for the elderly. 
 

Q. HOW LONG CAN I STAY IN PUBLIC HOUSING?

A. In general, you may stay in public housing as long as you comply with the lease.  If, at reexamination your family's income is sufficient to obtain housing on the private market, the HA may determine whether your family should stay in public housing. You will not be required to move unless there is affordable housing available for you on the private market.
 

Q. DO I HAVE TO RENT AN APARTMENT IN THE SAME CITY OR COUNTY WHERE I RECEIVED MY SECTION 8 VOUCHER?

A. No. Section 8 vouchers are "portable". So, once you receive a voucher, you can take it anywhere in the United States that has a public housing authority which can administer the voucher. You can literally receive a voucher in Mississippi and move to Hawaii with it.  However, just because you have a voucher in one state or area of the county does not mean that there will be housing available in the area you want to move – make sure that you check with your caseworker and the local housing authority before moving out of the area.
 

Q. CAN I MOVE AND CONTINUE TO RECEIVE HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER ASSISTANCE?

A. A family's housing needs change over time with changes in family size, job locations, and for other reasons. The housing choice voucher program is designed to allow families to move without the loss of housing assistance. Moves are permissible as long as the family notifies the PHA ahead of time, terminates its existing lease within the lease provisions, and finds acceptable alternate housing.

Under the voucher program, new voucher-holders may choose a unit anywhere in the United States if the family lived in the jurisdiction of the PHA issuing the voucher when the family applied for assistance. Those new voucher-holders not living in the jurisdiction of the PHA at the time the family applied for housing assistance must initially lease a unit within that jurisdiction for the first twelve months of assistance. A family that wishes to move to another PHA's jurisdiction must consult with the PHA that currently administers its housing assistance to verify the procedures for moving.

Portability refers to moving to a different area with your section 8 Housing Choice Voucher.  If you want to move, you must contact your housing authority caseworker, ask if you are eligible to move or “port” your voucher.  If you are eligible to move, you must contact the housing authority in the area you are planning to move to, and complete any paperwork required by the caseworker in that area by the date requested. 
 

Q. DO I HAVE TO RENT AN APARTMENT IN THE SAME CITY OR COUNTY WHERE I RECEIVED MY SECTION 8 VOUCHER?

A. No. Section 8 vouchers are "portable". So, once you receive a voucher, you can take it anywhere in the United States that has a public housing authority which can administer the voucher. You can literally receive a voucher in Mississippi and move to Hawaii with it.
 

Q. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TENANT-BASED AND PROJECT-BASED SECTION 8?

A. Tenant-based vouchers are attached to you as a tenant. A project-based voucher is attached to a particular property. If you live in a unit with a project-based voucher and you move, the Section 8 stays with the property and the next tenant uses the voucher. With a tenant-based voucher, you can take it anywhere as long as the home you wish to rent accepts Section 8 and meets the standards of the Section 8 program.  See the Affordable Housing Programs Table for a comparison between the different types of programs that might be available to you.
 

Q. CAN I USE SECTION 8 TO PAY MY MONTHLY MORTGAGE PAYMENT IF I BUY A HOME?

A. Recently, the Section 8 program was modified to allow Section 8 to help pay mortgage payments for qualified first-time homebuyers. To qualify, you must be a first-time homebuyer, have a household income of at least $10,300, been continuously employed for one-year (except for elderly or disabled persons), attend a homeownership counseling course and meet any other restrictions imposed by the local housing authority. Local public housing authorities may choose to implement a homeownership voucher program if they wish but are not required to. To find out if the homeownership voucher is offered in your area call your local housing authority.
 

Q. IF I HAVE A COMPLAINT, WHO SHOULD I CONTACT?

HUD handles several categories of complaints, not just housing discrimination.

Housing discrimination:Federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or disability. If you have been trying to buy or rent a home or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, you can file a fair housing complaint. http://www.hud.gov/complaints/housediscrim.cfm

Bad Landlords: Hundreds of landlords have been fined and/or debarred from doing business with the federal government as a result of failing to provide safe and decent housing for the poor, while enriching themselves on taxpayer-funded subsidies. Find out how to report a bad landlord.  http://www.hud.gov/complaints/badlandlord.cfm

Manufactured housing: If you have a problem with your manufactured home, learn how to solve the problem. http://www.hud.gov/complaints/manhousing.cfm

Land sales: The Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act protects consumers from fraud and abuse when buying or leasing land from developers. If you believe your rights have been violated, you can file a complaint by writing to HUD. http://www.hud.gov/complaints/landsales.cfm

Deceptive contractors: HUD insures loans to help people renovate and repair their homes through a program called Title 1. If you have problems with a contractor who is performing work for you under this program, find out how to report it to HUD. http://www.hud.gov/complaints/decpcontract.cfm

Fraud, waste, and abuse: If you are aware of fraud, wastes, and abuse in HUD programs and operations, report it to HUD's Inspector General Hotline! http://www.hud.gov/complaints/fraud_waste.cfm

Q. AS A LANDLORD, HOW CAN I REGISTER A PROPERTY FOR SECTION 8 TENANTS/AVAILABILITY?

A. Section 8 vouchers are administered at the local level by various local administrative offices and departments. You need to contact the LOCAL administrator and get a "Landlord Packet". It will have all the information you need and detail the inspection process.  HUD is a good place to start, also check with your local government web site for a ‘housing authority’.
 

Q. WHAT IF I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH A TENANT?  WHO SHOULD I CONTACT?

A. If you’re a landlord with a Section 8 tenant/voucher holder, contact the tenant’s caseworker immediately if there are unresolved problems, such as: late rent, criminal behavior, or not adhering to the terms of the lease.

Your tenant is not going to want to risk losing the housing voucher and will probably response quickly to the caseworker’s request.  Always register any issues you have with the caseworker and the tenant simultaneously – keep a copy of all letters, etc. and make sure your use the proper protocol when documenting issues/conflicts. 
 

Q. WHAT IF I HAVE A DISABILITY?

A. http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=500.  DisabilityInfo.gov is the federal government's one-stop web site for people with disabilities, their families, employers, veterans and service members, workforce professionals and many others.
 

Q. AS A VETERAN, WHAT HOUSING OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO ME?

A. http://www1.va.gov/homeless/provides information for homeless veterans. 

Veterans searching for housing assistance have a number of other resources such as:

HUD Veteran Resource Center via  http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/about/hudvet/index.cfm;

US Department of Veterans Affairs, HUDVET State and Local Resources via  http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/about/hudvet/state/index.cfm which provides state-by-state regional contact information.   This program was designed to assist the planning and delivery of community-based Continuum of Care services for veterans who are homeless.

Four categories of services are available at the community level to address the readjustment and/or reintegration needs of homeless veterans. The services are divided into Federal, State, Veterans Service Organizations, and Advocacy Organizations. When working together, these resources form the foundation of a comprehensive and coordinated Continuum-of-Care program for veterans.

CPD programs such as Community Development Block Grant(CDBG), HOME, and Continuum of Care may also provide needed services to veterans.