How to Apply for Section 8 Housing Assistance
Section 8 of Housing Act in the United States is about providing financial assistance to those who are not making enough money to pay rent or mortgage. It is also known as housing choice vouchers and anybody who is an American citizen can apply for the assistance. There are plenty of Section 8 housing facilities in large cities throughout the United States designed to facilitate those needing financial assistance.
There is only condition that you must be a responsible citizen who pays taxes regularly. Applicants can submit their application in any country housing authority office in their state.
Instructions
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1
Contact the relevant authority:
First of all, you must find out who has the authority to approve your application. Usually, local public housing authorities administrate the housing assistance process. The federal housing assistance programme supports the local bodies who decide whether you deserve this assistance or not. -
2
Keep all the factors in mind:
You must evaluate your case by checking different things like your family income, the composition of your family, the average income of that area, the rent/price of the place you want to reside. You should also know that only US citizens and legal settlers can avail the housing assistance programme. -
3
Know the criteria:
You should be aware of the fact that the local public housing authorities have a certain criteria to determine the eligibility of the applicant. For instance, your cumulative income should not be more than the 50 percent of the average income of that area where you want to live. The federal law directs PHA to provide housing assistance to those who have less than 30 percent income than the average income of that area. Moreover, PHA will prefer those who are homeless or living in substandard properties. -
4
Provide the proof of your income and expenditures:
You will have to provide the documented proof of your income and expenditures like house rent or costs. For that, you will ask your employer for a salary slip whereas the house rent information will be provided by your landlord. Attach these documents with your house assistance application. -
5
Apply accurately:
You should not make any mistake while applying for housing assistance otherwise this whole effort will be a futile exercise. Make sure that you are going for the right kind of voucher. Similarly, there should be no imperfection in the paperwork. -
6
Know your responsibility:
According to law, you will have to pay 30 percent of the adjusted gross income. Rest of the cost will be the responsibility of housing assistance authority.
