Section 8 Rental Assistance Program
This federal program provides rental assistance to very-low-income families and individuals, including seniors, which enables renters to pay no more than 30 per cent of their income on rent.
Some Section 8 certificates are "project-based"; that is, each certificate is tied to a specific apartment, and any tenant renting that apartment must have a household income that meets the income-eligibility guidelines of the Section 8 Program. If the tenant moves out of the apartment, the rental subsidy remains with the apartment for the next eligible tenant.
Recently, the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revised the Section 8 Program to include Section 8 vouchers, which are given to individuals whose household income meets the Program's income-eligibility guidelines. The individual receiving the voucher can choose to use the voucher in any housing option where the landlord agrees to accept it; the individual pays 30 per cent of his/her income for rent, and the landlord submits the voucher to HUD for reimbursement of additional rental charges.
While a great deal of funds are allocated to the Section 8 Program, many more people apply for vouchers than are available for distribution, leaving many people on waiting lists.
For information about the Section 8 program, contact the Public (or Municipal) Housing Authority in your community. For the name of the Public Housing Authority, contact your County Office for the Aging.
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