Housing Choice (Section 8) Voucher

 

The Housing Authority administers 237 vouchers. The housing choice voucher program places the choice of housing in the hands of the individual family. A very low-income family is selected by the Housing Authority to participate and is encouraged to consider several housing choices to secure the best housing for the family needs. Selection is based on waiting list position. A housing voucher holder is advised of the unit size for which it is eligible based on family size and composition.

 

The housing unit selected by the family must meet an acceptable level of standard. When the voucher holder finds a unit that it wishes to occupy and reaches an agreement with the landlord over the lease, the Housing Authority must inspect the dwelling and determine that the rent requested is reasonable.

 

The Housing Authority determines a payment standard that is the amount generally needed to rent a moderately-priced dwelling unit in the local housing market and that is used to calculate the amount of assistance a family will receive. A subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the PHA on behalf of the family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the property owner and the amount subsidized by the program. By law, whenever a family moves to a unit where the rent exceeds the payment standard, the family may not pay more than 40 percent of its adjusted monthly income for rent.

 

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 assistance.