The South Dakota Section 8 program is regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and was created to provide rental assistance to low income households. This low income housing program is administered locally by the Public Housing Agencies (PHAs), and applicants have to meet certain requirements in order to be eligible. Section 8 in South Dakota assists beneficiaries by paying house rental subsidies to the landlord that covers either a portion or the entirety of the monthly rent. Low income house rentals chosen by affordable housing beneficiaries must meet certain HUD requirements for sanitation and safety before they can be rented as part of the program. South Dakota Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) act on behalf of the HUD housing authority by screening applicants for eligibility and ensuring that the houses rented out to beneficiaries meet safety and sanitation requirements. If the local PHA qualifies a low income housing applicant as eligible, that individual is put on a public housing waiting list and housing vouchers will be allocated to them as soon as they are received from HUD. Aside from issuing public housing vouchers, the low income housing program also provides project-based vouchers which are administered by the South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA).

Learn About Requirements for Section 8 in South Dakota

What are the requirements for Section 8 in South Dakota? Applicants wanting to learn all the details about eligibility requirements for affordable housing can contact any local PHA or HUD office. There are general Section 8 eligibility criteria required by PHAs when attempting to qualify public housing applicants in South Dakota. The HUD office provides guidelines about what are the qualifications for low income housing to the local PHAs. These PHAs screen applicants and determine whether they qualify for affordable housing or not. Many applicants wonder, “What do I need to apply for section 8?” First, applicants must meet the South Dakota definition of a family. Also, families seeking low income housing assistance must have at least one household member who is a citizen of the United States. Legal aliens also qualify for low income housing as long as they meet South Dakota Section 8 requirements and have proper documentation. Applicants asking themselves, “Do I qualify for public housing in SD?” should evaluate their current situation to see if their household meets all Section 8 requirements. The largest eligibility determinant is income. An affordable housing applicant’s combined household income must be below the predetermined median income level set by HUD for South Dakota. This low income limit varies from one county to another, depending on the economic performance of the county. Low income households are given preference, especially if there are pregnant women or elderly members in the home. Finally, South Dakota residents applying for affordable housing cannot have a background record relating to criminal activities or drug-related crimes. Candidates who have public housing or Section 8 eviction records for misconduct remain ineligible for public housing for a period of time, usually three years or more.

Learn How to Apply for Section 8 Housing in South Dakota

In order to register for section 8 housing program benefits, applicants must locate the nearest PHA and fill out the relevant application forms. Among the application forms that candidates are expected to submit are the Pre-application form, Application Cover Sheet and HUD Voucher Form. Applicants are required to provide registration information such as phone number, current address, household income information, and other details as requested. After providing all the required information to the PHA, the applicant is expected to wait as the application is being processed. Instead of filling out the HUD affordable housing application manually, applicants can fill out an online application for low income housing that can be found through the HUD portal. This same platform can also be used by an applicant to check status for public housing application after it’s been submitted. The HUD provides a step-by-step explanation on how to sign up for affordable housing, which is especially helpful for applicants who are unfamiliar with online applications.

Learn About South Dakota Section 8 Waiting Lists

Each PHA in South Dakota maintains a Section 8 housing program application waiting list that displays which applicants have been given first priority for affordable housing selections. A public housing candidate is only put on the low income housing waiting list after the PHA has verified and qualified the applicant as eligible. The South Dakota HUD offices provide information about Section 8 waiting lists all over the State. Applicants can use HUD portal to view the Section 8 housing waiting list 2016 or check waiting list status for affordable housing in their county. When will the public housing waiting lists open in an applicant’s county? Each county’s lists are maintained by the local PHA. Most PHAs make these lists available online, as well as by written request. Low income housing waiting lists may be closed by PHAs if rental assistance requests overwhelm the subsidy resources they have received from HUD. When giving preference to the waiting lists, PHAs consider homeless, displaced, elderly, or extremely low-income households before any other applicants.

Learn About Section 8 Denials in South Dakota

Section 8 housing disqualifications will be issued by the South Dakota housing authorities if applicants fail to meet certain requirements. It is therefore important to know how to appeal low income housing denial if it occurs. When an application is denied affordable housing benefits, the applicant always receives a Section 8 denial letter that states the reason for their disqualification. What are the reasons for public housing denial? Some of the most common reasons an application can be denied include receiving a bad review from a previous landlord, having a household member with a drug-related conviction or submitting an application with false or incomplete information. A HUD agent can help an applicant decide what to do if low income housing application was denied. An affordable housing denial appeal should be filed within 20 days of receiving the denial notification. The applicant will then face a review board and will have a chance to dispute the denial decision. If the application is denied again, then the applicant can file another appeal with the South Dakota Department of Housing Authority within 21 days of the second denial. Website: Local Offices. State: South Dakota