|Acceptance Application Details Eligibility History Home Ownership Types Who Can Apply|
renters may apply for Section 8 housing, which
refers to the Housing Choice Voucher program run by
the Department of Housing and Urban Development and
administered by local public housing authorities.
The Housing Choice Voucher program provides for
subsidized housing for low-income families and
individuals. It received the name Section 8 from the
US Housing Act of 1937, as it was established in
Section 8 of that bill. Section 8 initially applied
only to low-income renters and the vouchers would
provide for assistance in paying the rent at
eligible properties. However, Section 8 has since
been modified to provide assistance to first-time
homebuyers as well. Homeownership vouchers generally
provide assistance in making mortgage payments.
Unfortunately, not all local housing authorities
participate in the homeownership voucher program, as
the federal law does not require them to.
Debt relief help for very low-income families, the disabled, and the elderly, through Section 8 Housing, was established in 1974 to assist these citizens in affording safe, sanitary, and reasonably high-quality housing on the private market. Prior to Section 8 Housing, the very low-income often lived in massive state-owned apartment complexes known as the projects, or in some cases remained homeless.
Vouchers have assisted hundreds of thousands of families in moving out of the projects and into privately-owned apartments, townhouses, and more recently, homes. Vouchers also help ensure that very low-income individuals and families are no longer spending an obscene portion of their income on housing by limiting their contribution to 30%.