Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers

The housing choice voucher program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provide

Applicants are limited to public housing agencies (PHAs). A PHA is defined as any State, county, municipality or other governmental entity or public body (or agency or instrumentality thereof) which is authorized to engage in or assist in the development or operation of housing for very low income families, a Consortia or Regional PHAs; any other nonprofit entity that was administering a Section 8 tenant-based program on October 21, 1998; or, for an area outside the jurisdiction of a PHA administering a voucher program, a private nonprofit entity or a governmental entity or public body that would otherwise lack jurisdiction to administer the program in such area.

Very low-income families (whose income does not exceed 50 percent of the median income for the area as determined by the Secretary with adjustments for smaller and larger families) and, on an exception basis, lower income families (whose income does not exceed 80 percent of the median income for the area, adjusted for smaller and larger families). At least 75 percent of families admitted to the voucher program during the PHA fiscal year must be extremely low-income families (whose income does not exceed 30 percent of the median income for the area).

In the Housing Choice Voucher Program, HUD execute Annual Contributions Contracts (ACCs) with PHAs under which the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides funds to the PHAs to administer the programs locally. The PHAs execute HAP contracts with private owners who lease their units to assisted families (24 CFR section 982.151). The PHA verifies a family's eligibility (including income eligibility) and then issues the family a voucher. The family has a minimum of 60 days to locate a rental unit where the landlord agrees to participate in the program (the PHA establishes the maximum number of days). The PHA determines whether the unit meets housing quality standards (HQS). If the PHA approves a family's unit and determines that the rent is reasonable, the PHA contracts with the owner to make HAPs on behalf of the family (24 CFR section 982.1(a)(2)). This program is excluded from coverage under 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles.

Provides housing assistance payments to participating owners on behalf of eligible tenants to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing for very low-income families at rents they can afford. The PHA calculates the maximum amount of housing assistance allowable. The maximum housing assistance is generally the lesser of the payment standard minus 30% of the family's monthly adjusted income or the gross rent for the unit minus 30% of monthly adjusted income.

The program is managed on a calendar year basis, and new incremental vouchers and renewal funding is provided/obligated for 12 months.

Submission of Application for Housing Assistance Payments Program (Form HUD-52515).

See NOFAs and regular Public and Indian Housing Notices for new vouchers awarded competitively and noncompetitively.

The Management and Operations Division, with assistance from the Program Support Division, generally makes the final decision based on the results of the rating and ranking process for new special purpose vouchers.

Congress provides renewal funding for housing assistance payments (HAP) and administrative fees through annual appropriations; new vouchers are processes through competitive procedures such Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), and noncompetitively such as tenant protection vouchers (TPVs).

Expiring increments of Section 8 housing choice voucher assistance are automatically renewed by HUD annually (subject to appropriations).