What Section 8 is

Section 8 is the common name for the Housing Choice Voucher program. It helps low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities pay rent. Instead of living in a building the government owns, you use a voucher to rent a house, townhouse or apartment from a private landlord. The home has to pass an inspection, and the rent has to be approved.

Who runs it

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) pays for the program. About 2,000 local public housing agencies, usually shortened to PHAs, run it. A PHA is the office near you that takes applications, keeps the waiting list, checks that you qualify and sends the voucher payments to landlords. You never apply to HUD itself.

What you pay

You usually pay about 30% of your adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities. Your PHA pays the rest, up to a limit, straight to your landlord. Your share can be more or less than 30% in some situations, and the next lesson shows exactly how it is worked out.

What a voucher is not

A voucher is different from public housing. Public housing units are owned and run by a housing agency. With a voucher you pick your own rental from a landlord who agrees to take part. Some PHAs also have project-based vouchers, where the help stays with one specific unit instead of moving with you. When you see a waitlist notice, ask which kind it is for.

Expect a wait

Most of the waiting happens before you get a voucher. USA.gov says that waiting lists and long waits are common because HUD and PHAs have limited funds, and a PHA can close its list when it has more families than it can help. HUD does not publish a typical wait. Every list is different, and only your PHA can tell you where you stand.

The rest of this course follows the order of events: checking whether you qualify, applying, waiting, getting your voucher, finding a home and keeping your assistance.

Sources: Housing Choice Voucher Tenants, HUD; Housing choice voucher (Section 8), USA.gov.