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60,000 New Section 8 Vouchers? What HUD Funded and How to Apply

By KPCB StaffCombined Expertise In The Low Income Housing Space For 10 Years · How we write our guides

Family getting section 8 waitlist voucher

HUD did not hand out a batch of 60,000 new Section 8 vouchers in 2025. HUD's official 2025 funding notice for the Housing Choice Voucher program lists new vouchers only for two small programs, one for homeless veterans and one for families and youth leaving foster care, and the 2026 notice does the same. If you want a voucher today, the way in is still your local public housing agency's waiting list, and applying is free.

What HUD actually funded in 2025

Congress funded HUD for 2025 through the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Public Law 119-4), enacted March 15, 2025. HUD explained how it would spend the voucher money in Notice PIH 2025-13, issued May 14, 2025.

That notice says the 2025 law "provides HAP funding for new incremental vouchers for HUD-VASH and FUP." It does not describe any general expansion of tens of thousands of new vouchers. The new-voucher money was:

Program2025 fundingWho it serves
HUD-VASH$15 million total, with $5 million for new vouchers and $10 million for fees and other program costsHomeless veterans working with the VA
Family Unification Program (FUP)$30 million, with $25 million set aside for the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) initiativeFamilies involved with child welfare, and young people leaving foster care

Most of the rest of the voucher budget pays to renew vouchers families already hold. Renewal funding keeps current voucher holders housed. It does not add new families to the program.

The pandemic-era Emergency Housing Vouchers

A much larger batch of new vouchers did go out earlier, through the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program. HUD gave out 70,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers to local agencies under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which provided $5 billion for them. They went to people who were homeless, at risk of homelessness, or fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking. People did not apply for these directly. They were referred by their local homeless services system, called the Continuum of Care.

Those vouchers were never open to the general public, and no agency can issue them to new families now.

What happened to Emergency Housing Vouchers

The EHV program is ending. Here is the timeline from Notice PIH 2026-25, issued September 29, 2026:

  1. The law already barred housing agencies from reissuing EHVs to new families after September 30, 2023.
  2. On March 6, 2025, HUD told housing agencies that the remaining EHV money would likely cover EHV families only through most of 2026.
  3. On March 26, 2025, HUD's Notice PIH 2025-07 told agencies to stop issuing EHVs to any new families.
  4. On September 2, 2026, the President signed a stopgap funding law (Public Law 119-103) that keeps the government funded through December 11, 2026. It lets HUD give a Tenant Protection Voucher to every EHV family under lease on September 30, 2026.
  5. By December 31, 2026, those families move from EHV to regular Housing Choice Voucher rules. After that, the EHV program ends.

If you have an EHV and were leased up on September 30, 2026, HUD's notice says you are "considered continuously assisted." Your housing agency does not need to put you on a waiting list or screen you again, and you can stay in your unit. Watch for mail from your housing agency about the switch.

These replacement vouchers cannot be reissued. When an EHV family leaves the program, that voucher goes away. They will not open up for people on waiting lists.

How new vouchers reach housing agencies in 2026

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75) was enacted February 3, 2026. HUD's Notice PIH 2026-12 (issued June 9, 2026) explains how that money reaches local agencies.

2026 funding categoryAmount
Renewal of existing vouchers$34,557,000,000
HUD-VASH$15,000,000
Family Unification Program$30,000,000
Tenant Protection Vouchers$600,622,000
Set-aside for agencies facing shortfalls and other needs$400,000,000
Administrative fees$2,835,935,000

The only brand-new vouchers in 2026 are special-purpose ones, and each type reaches people through a different door.

HUD-VASH for homeless veterans

At least $5 million of the 2026 HUD-VASH money goes to new vouchers, which HUD awards to housing agencies based on need and how well each agency runs its program. HUD said it would publish details of the 2026 allocation later.

You don't get a HUD-VASH voucher from the housing authority's general waiting list. HUD says to contact a VA medical center near you and mention your interest in HUD-VASH. You can also call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 (877-4AID-VET), which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The program pairs the voucher with case management and clinical services from the VA.

Foster Youth to Independence (FYI)

The 2026 law renamed this program The Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence Initiative. Notice PIH 2026-19, issued July 27, 2026, makes $25 million in 2026 funding available, plus about $13.2 million carried over from 2025.

To qualify, a young person must be certified by the public child welfare agency as:

  • At least 18 and not yet 25 years old
  • Having left foster care, or due to leave within 180 days, under a transition plan
  • Homeless or at risk of homelessness at age 16 or older

A housing agency can only ask HUD for an FYI voucher after the child welfare agency refers an eligible youth, so start with your caseworker or your state's child welfare agency. FYI help lasts up to 36 months. Some youth can get up to 24 more months if they meet extra requirements.

Family Unification Program

HUD planned to award $5 million of the 2026 FUP money through a competitive funding notice to housing agencies. FUP vouchers also go through a partnership between the housing agency and the child welfare agency, so ask your child welfare caseworker about them.

Tenant Protection Vouchers

Tenant Protection Vouchers protect families who already live in HUD-assisted housing when their building leaves the program, for example through demolition, sale or a conversion. You can't apply for one. If your building is affected and HUD approves the vouchers, the housing agency must offer one to each eligible family.

Mainstream Vouchers for people with disabilities

Mainstream Vouchers serve households that include a person with a disability who is at least 18 and not yet 62. Starting in 2026, Mainstream funding is part of each agency's regular voucher renewal money. HUD's Mainstream rules say agencies fill these vouchers from their one regular voucher waiting list, so getting on the regular list is how you reach them. Tell the agency on your application if someone in your household has a disability.

How to get on a Section 8 waiting list

For a regular Housing Choice Voucher, HUD says "you must apply for rental assistance through your local Public Housing Agency." Here is how that works.

  1. Find your housing agencies. Use HUD's Public Housing Agency contact directory to find the agencies for your city, county and state. Many areas have more than one.
  2. Check which lists are open. HUD says that when a closed list opens, the agency must let the public know. Look on the agency's website and social media, in local newspapers, and at local social service offices.
  3. Apply to more than one. You can apply to any agency's program you're eligible for, even outside your area. Some agencies give preference to local residents, and some may require you to live in their area for the first 12 months.
  4. Fill out the pre-application. It usually asks about household size, income, disability or elderly status, local preferences you may qualify for, and any accessibility needs. If you have a disability, the agency must accept your application another way if you ask for that as a reasonable accommodation.
  5. Keep proof that you applied. Save a confirmation number, screenshot or copy.

Our PHA pre-application guide walks through the form, and the steps to Section 8 cover the whole process from application to lease.

Who qualifies

Your household must be extremely low-income or very low-income for your area. The agency also checks citizenship or eligible immigration status, and some criminal history can disqualify you. Income limits differ by county and household size, so check the HUD income limits lookup for your area or read our Section 8 income eligibility guide. Only the housing agency can decide whether you're eligible.

If you get a voucher, you usually pay about 30% of your adjusted monthly income toward rent, and the housing agency pays the rest directly to your landlord. HUD says your share can sometimes reach 40%.

Keeping your spot on the list

Getting on a list does not mean you're approved. The agency checks your eligibility again when a voucher is ready for you.

  • Answer every letter, email or call from the agency by the deadline it gives.
  • Tell the agency right away if your address, phone number, email or household changes. HUD says you can be removed from the list if you don't.
  • Check your status every few months.
  • Keep copies of pay stubs, benefit letters, IDs and Social Security cards in one place so you can respond quickly.

Our guide on how to confirm your application is on the waitlist explains how to check your status.

Watch out for waiting list scams

HUD's Office of Inspector General has warned about fake social media posts claiming that Section 8 waiting lists are "opening soon." These scams try to get your personal information or a payment. In its August 1, 2024 fraud bulletin, the OIG says housing authorities and government agencies "will never ask you to pay for admission to housing assistance programs or to join a waitlist."

Don't reply to ads offering a place on a list. Contact your housing agency at the number in HUD's directory instead. You can report a scam to the HUD OIG Hotline at 1-800-347-3735.

If you need a place to stay now, see our guide on emergency housing options, or use the benefit finder to see what other help you may qualify for.

Frequently asked questions

Were 60,000 new Section 8 vouchers released in 2025?

No. HUD's 2025 voucher funding notice includes new vouchers only for HUD-VASH and the Family Unification Program. The large pandemic-era program, Emergency Housing Vouchers, had 70,000 vouchers given out under a 2021 law, and HUD told agencies to stop issuing them to new families in March 2025.

Can I still apply for an Emergency Housing Voucher?

No. Agencies stopped issuing EHVs to new families in March 2025. Families who held an EHV on September 30, 2026 are being moved to regular voucher rules by December 31, 2026, and the program then ends.

Are any new vouchers coming in 2026?

Only special-purpose ones: new HUD-VASH vouchers for homeless veterans and FYI and FUP vouchers for youth and families involved with child welfare. Regular vouchers go to families from housing agency waiting lists, so getting on a list is still the way to get one.

Does it cost money to get on a waiting list?

No. Applying for Section 8 and joining a waiting list is free. Anyone who asks you to pay is not your housing agency.

Can I be on more than one waiting list?

Yes. You can apply to any housing agency's program you're eligible for. You have to contact each agency yourself and keep your information current with each one.

What happens if I miss a letter from the housing agency?

You could lose your place on the list. Call the agency as soon as you notice. If you're removed and think it was a mistake, ask the agency in writing how to challenge the decision. Free legal aid programs listed on LawHelp.org may be able to help.

Sources

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