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Emergency Housing and Emergency Section 8: Where to Get Help Now

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

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If you need a safe place to sleep tonight, call 211. In most of the U.S., 211 connects you to local social services and referrals for emergency housing, and HUD's own instructions say to press 6 for homeless services. If you are in danger at home, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788).

Section 8 can help you find longer-term housing, but it rarely helps tonight. The sections below cover the fastest options first, then how housing authorities give some people priority for vouchers.

Get help tonight

Start with whichever of these fits your situation. You can use more than one.

Call 211

Dial 2-1-1 from any phone. USAGov says that in most areas, 211 connects you with local social services and referrals for emergency housing. HUD's help page says to press 6 for homeless services. If 211 does not answer, or you get a message that it is not available where you are, HUD suggests going to 211.org's local 211 finder and entering your ZIP code to get your local number.

When you call, say where you are, who is with you (children, pets, a partner), and whether you have somewhere to stay tonight. That helps the call taker match you with shelters that will take your household.

Contact your local homeless help line (coordinated entry)

Every area has a Continuum of Care (CoC), a local network that runs homeless services with HUD funding. Most CoCs use a single front door called coordinated entry. HUD describes it as the process that standardizes how people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are assessed for and referred to housing and services.

Getting assessed matters because many shelter beds, rapid rehousing slots and special vouchers are filled through that local system. You usually cannot get them by walking into a housing authority on your own.

To find your local contact, use HUD's Need Homeless Assistance? list. Pick your state and call the provider listed for your area.

Search for a shelter yourself

HUD's Find Shelter tool lists shelters, food pantries, health clinics and clothing resources. Enter your city or ZIP code and choose Shelter. Call ahead if you can, since beds and intake hours change.

If you are fleeing abuse

Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. These national lines are listed on HUD's Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) page:

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), TTY 1-800-787-3224, or text START to 88788
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
  • National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888, or text 233733
  • StrongHearts Native Helpline: 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483)

Hotline advocates can help you find a domestic violence shelter. HUD also warns that web browsers keep a history of the sites you visit. If someone who hurts you can see your phone or computer, clear your history or use a library computer.

If you are a veteran

Call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838). USAGov lists it as free, confidential and open 24 hours a day. You can also contact a VA medical center and ask about HUD-VASH, the program that pairs a housing voucher with VA case management.

If you are a teen or young adult

The National Runaway Safeline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929) is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day. USAGov says it can also arrange free transportation home or to other safe, stable housing.

If a disaster forced you out

Register with FEMA at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362. HUD's disaster section says the phone lines are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, seven days a week, with multilingual operators.

If you are about to lose your home but are not out yet, ask 211 about emergency rent help. USAGov notes that each state sets its own rules for these programs. Our guide to steps to take if you are facing homelessness covers eviction, rent help and a longer plan.

Is there such a thing as emergency Section 8?

Not as a separate program you can apply to. Section 8, also called the Housing Choice Voucher program, is run by about 2,000 local public housing authorities (PHAs) with HUD funding, according to HUD. Each PHA keeps its own waiting list and sets its own rules for who goes first.

There are three ways a person in crisis can move faster.

1. A waiting list preference

Federal rules let each PHA set "local preferences" that move some applicants ahead of others on the list. The PHA picks them based on local needs and must write them into its Administrative Plan (24 CFR 982.207). The same rule names some preferences a PHA may choose, including:

  • families that include a person with a disability
  • victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking (HUD says PHAs should consider this one)
  • working families
  • people who live or work in the PHA's county or city
  • single people who are 62 or older, displaced, homeless, or have a disability, over other single applicants

None of these is required everywhere. One PHA might give points for homelessness while the next town over does not. Ask each PHA directly: "What local preferences do you use, and what proof do you accept?" A PHA can also cap how many applicants get a given preference.

Within a preference group, the PHA picks people by date and time of application or by a lottery.

2. A referral for a special voucher

Some vouchers are set aside for specific groups and usually come through a referral partner instead of the regular list:

  • HUD-VASH for homeless veterans, through the VA
  • Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) for young people ages 18 to 24 who left foster care, or will within 180 days, and are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The child welfare agency works with the PHA, and the voucher generally lasts up to 36 months.
  • Mainstream vouchers for non-elderly people with disabilities, where the local PHA has them

When HUD gives a PHA money for a specific group, the PHA must use it for that group (24 CFR 982.204(e)). Ask your coordinated entry worker, caseworker or VA contact whether you can be referred.

3. Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV)

The Emergency Housing Voucher program gave PHAs 70,000 vouchers for people who were homeless, at risk of homelessness, fleeing domestic violence or trafficking, or recently homeless. Families could not apply for these directly. HUD's EHV FAQ says referrals had to come through the local CoC or a victim service provider.

Very few new EHVs are available now. HUD's EHV page says PHAs may not reissue EHVs that turned over after September 30, 2023, and very few PHAs have any leasing authority left. If someone tells you to "apply for an emergency voucher," your best move is still to get assessed through coordinated entry and ask what is open in your area.

How to apply for Section 8 while you are in crisis

Do this at the same time as the steps above.

  1. Find your PHA. Use HUD's PHA contact list, choose your state, and look for the housing authority for your city or county.
  2. Ask whether the voucher waiting list is open. PHAs close their lists when they have enough applicants, and when they reopen they must post a public notice saying where and when to apply (24 CFR 982.206). Ask whether the PHA also manages public housing and whether that list is open.
  3. Ask about preferences. Find out which ones the PHA uses and what papers prove each one.
  4. Apply. HUD says the PHA will ask about your household's income, assets and members, and the PHA decides whether you qualify (HUD Helping Americans). Our guide to Section 8 income eligibility explains how income limits work in your area.
  5. Apply to more than one PHA if you can. Each PHA has its own list. If you get a voucher from a PHA where you did not live when you applied, you may have to use it in that PHA's area for the first 12 months unless the PHA approves a move (24 CFR 982.353). That limit does not apply when a survivor of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking needs to move for safety.
  6. Keep your contact information current. A PHA can remove you from the list if you do not answer its letters (24 CFR 982.204). If you have no fixed address, ask the PHA whether you can use a shelter, a caseworker's office or a trusted relative's address, and give a phone number and email you check.

After you apply, see how to confirm your Section 8 application is on the waitlist.

Applying is free. HUD's Office of Inspector General warns that housing authorities and government agencies "will never ask you to pay for admission to housing assistance programs or to join a waitlist". Report anyone who asks for money to the HUD OIG Hotline at 1-800-347-3735.

Protections if you are a survivor of abuse

Under VAWA, a PHA or other covered housing program cannot deny you because you are or have been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, if you otherwise qualify (24 CFR 5.2005).

HUD's VAWA forms include Form HUD-5382, a certification you can use to document what happened, and Form HUD-5383, an emergency transfer request for people who already live in HUD-assisted housing and need to move for safety. If you already have a voucher and must leave your unit to stay safe, federal rules allow you to move to another area with your voucher in some cases, even if you break your lease (24 CFR 982.353(b)). Ask your PHA or a hotline advocate about your options.

If you have a disability

You can ask a PHA for a reasonable accommodation, which is a change in its rules or process that you need because of a disability. HUD lists requesting accommodations among the topics PHAs handle for applicants and tenants. Ask your PHA how it takes requests, and keep a copy of anything you submit.

One rule is worth knowing: if a PHA drops you from the waiting list because a disability kept you from answering its letters, the PHA must put you back in your old spot (24 CFR 982.204(c)). Our guide to HUD housing programs for people with disabilities covers more options.

For legal help with a denial, eviction or accommodation, look for free legal aid through USAGov's legal aid page or LawHelp.org.

Common problems

  • Waiting on Section 8 before looking for shelter. Even with a preference, you will usually wait for a voucher, so get assessed through coordinated entry and into a shelter or program first.
  • Paying someone to get you on a list. PHAs never charge for this. HUD OIG warns that scammers post on social media that voucher waiting lists are opening soon.
  • Missing a letter. If you move between shelters or friends' couches, give the PHA your new contact details every time.
  • Not asking about preferences. A PHA may not know you are homeless or fleeing abuse unless you tell them and bring the proof they ask for.

To see other benefits you may qualify for, such as food or health coverage, try our benefit finder.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get emergency housing today?

Possibly, through a shelter. Call 211, contact your local CoC through HUD's homeless help list, or search HUD's Find Shelter tool. Section 8 vouchers are not issued same day.

How do I get an emergency Section 8 voucher?

Ask your local PHA which waiting list preferences it uses, such as homelessness or domestic violence, and apply with proof. Also get assessed through coordinated entry, since special vouchers usually come through referrals. New Emergency Housing Vouchers are very limited now.

How long is the wait with a preference?

It depends on the PHA, how many other applicants share your preference, and how much funding the PHA has. Ask the PHA where you stand after you apply.

Do I need an address to apply for Section 8?

HUD lists the things a PHA looks at as your yearly income, family size, and U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status. Having a home is not on that list, but the PHA does need a way to reach you. Ask what mailing address it will accept, such as a shelter or a caseworker's office.

Who decides if I qualify?

Only the PHA (or, for HUD-VASH, the PHA working with the VA) decides. No website, app or private company can approve you or move you up the list.

Who can I call at HUD with questions?

HUD's PIH Customer Service Center answers questions about public housing and housing choice vouchers at (800) 955-2232. For your own application, call your local PHA.

Sources

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