HUD and Section 8 Housing

HUD

Section 8 Housing

The major program for assisting very low income emancipated youth to rent decent, safe, and sanitary housing is called Section 8. The Section 8 program provides money to local housing authorities, who then use rental vouchers to help pay the rent for qualified individuals and families. Section 8 is what is known as “tenant-based” assistance, which means the assistance goes with the tenant—it is not limited to a particular rental project. Section 8 is a complex program, and the rules may vary slightly from one jurisdiction to another. In general, once approved for Section 8, the tenant pays about 30% of the household income for rent, and the housing authority pays the remainder directly to the landlord.

Section 8 assistance can be very hard to get. In most counties, there are long waiting lists for Section 8 assistance—sometimes as long as three to five years.

In order to apply for Section 8 assistance, an individual must first determine which housing authority to deal with.  A person should apply to whichever housing authority serves the county where he or she lives and/or works. Click here to look for housing authority information in your county.