Rental assistance vouchers increase affordable housing choices for very low-income families.

They allow families to choose and lease safe, decent, and affordable privately owned rental housing.

Very low-income families (i.e. families with incomes below 50% of area median income) and a few specific categories of families with incomes up to 80% of the area median income are eligible to apply for rental assistance vouchers.

These include

• families that are already assisted under the 1937 U.S. Housing Act, such as families physically displaced by public housing demolition, and owners opting out of project based section 8 Housing assistance payments (HAP) contracts.
• (HUD determines median income levels for each area annually.)

How does a Housing Agency determine if a family is income eligible?

• The Housing Agency compares the family`s annual income (gross income) with the HUD-established very low income limit or low-income limit for the area.
• The family`s gross income cannot exceed this limit.

How to obtain tenant-based vouchers Families apply to a local Public Housing Agency (PHA) that administers this program.

• When an eligible family comes to the top of the PHA`s housing choice voucher waiting list, the PHA issues a housing choice voucher to the family.

How much rent do vouchers cover?

• Rent varies based upon family composition and income.
• Generally, the PHA pays the owner the difference between 30 percent of adjusted family income and a PHA determined payment standard or the gross rent for the unit, whichever is lower.
• The family may choose a unit with a higher rent than the rental assistance but will be responsible to pay the owner the difference.
• For example, if your family income is $17,800 with 1 adult and 2 children, you would qualify for a 2-bedroom unit and have a payment standard of $706.
• Say you find a unit that meet housing standards and the agreed upon rent is $675.
• In this scenario, the tenant would pay $390 with the housing voucher paying $285.

How to obtain an apartment once they have a voucher It is the responsibility of a family to find a unit that meets their needs?

Once the family finds:

• a unit that meets the housing quality standard where the rent is reasonable, and the unit meets other program requirementsthen the PHA executes a HAP contract with the property owner.
• This contract authorizes the PHA to make subsidy payments on behalf of the family.
• If the family moves out of the unit, this contract with the owner ends and the family can move with continued assistance to another unit.