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Section 8 With Our Guide

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Learn About Requirements for Section 8 Housing

The Section 8 Housing Program is also called the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The program helps low-income people and families to pay their rent for an apartment or house. People need to meet Section 8 requirements before they can get help. There are many different requirements to get Section 8. One of the most important requirements is the income requirement. This means the income for your household cannot be more than a certain amount.

Once you get Section 8, you will need to keep meeting requirements in order to keep getting rent help. Sometimes, the Section 8 program requires people to take part in special programs. These special programs help people to manage their money or to reach job or education goals.

Section 8 is a very popular program. Many people apply to get Section 8 help, but often there is not enough money to help everyone who meets the requirements. In many areas, the Section 8 program has a waiting list. You may be placed on a waiting list if you apply and meet all the requirements. Then, you will receive your voucher when you reach the top of the list. Some areas have decided to close their Section 8 waiting lists and no longer receive applications.

What are the requirements for Section 8 Housing?

To get Section 8, families must meet the income limit. This means your income cannot be higher than a certain amount. The amount of the income limit can change in different states or different areas, like a city or county. Also, the amount depends on how many people are in your household.

The income limit is based on the median income in your area, such as a county or city. You can ask a local housing authority to find out the median income in your area. If a family’s income is half of the median income or lower, they meet the income requirement. The Section 8 program considers these people to be “very low income.” These people usually get Section 8 housing before people with higher incomes. If the housing authority has enough money and vouchers, they can give Section 8 to people with 80% or less of the median income. These people are considered “lower income.”

There are other requirements you will need to meet. Some of these are the following:

  • You cannot have some kinds of criminal records.
  • You cannot have too much money in the bank.
  • You must be a citizen or a legal immigrant.

After you apply for Section 8, the housing authority will check your information and documents to see if you meet the requirements. If you start getting Section 8 help, you will have to tell the housing authority if your income changes. If it is too high, you will lose Section 8 benefits.

What is a “family” or “household”?

The Section 8 program gives benefits to a person, family or household that lives together. Here are different types of families who can get Section 8:

  • A group of people with or without children
  • Elderly citizens older than 62
  • A single person with or without children

There are other types of groups living together who can also be considered a family.

What are the citizenship requirements for Section 8?

People must be United States citizens or certain types of legal immigrants to get Section 8. You may be asked to show documents to prove your citizenship. These documents can be some of the following:

  • U.S. passport
  • Social Security card
  • Resident alien card
  • Registration card

If all members of a family are U.S. citizens or acceptable types of immigrants, they will meet the citizenship requirements. If a family has some members who do not meet the citizenship requirement, the family can still get Section 8. They will just get less Section 8 help based on how many people do not qualify.

Learn How to Apply for
Section 8 With Our Guide

As an independent and private company, we are proud to help our users learn about the benefit application process.

  • Get Free Information with Our Guide
  • Take our optional survey to receive, based on your answers, related offers from our partners!
  • Keep Updated with Curated Content