The housing market has been getting less accessible for the average American year by year. In turn, many American, specifically low-income households have been feeling a heavier burden when trying to afford housing. To put things into perspective, housing has gone through inflation at the rate of 4.19% every year, between 1967 and 2021. Luckily though, there are some housing assistance programs available to help Americans in need. They just require you to do enough research to find them. You might end up finding more assistance than you expect.

Available Housing Assistance Options

There’s a really long list of housing assistance programs out there. However, each program is designed to fit a certain set of needs. Moreover, each program will provide a different set of benefits. We’ll mention some of these programs here, but you should check out Benefits.gov for more assistance programs that could fit you better.

Public Housing 

This housing assistance program is subsidized by the federal government. That means that the government assigns a certain budget for the program on a regular basis to help out Americans who need it. Public housing can come in many forms. For example, private homes or a series of duplexes. You’ll most likely find public housing in the form of duplexes, it really depends on where you live.

Public Housing comes thanks to a section of the federal government called the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). However, HUD does not run the program. Instead, HUD gives the responsibility of running the program to the local Public Housing Authority (PHA). PHAs are the ones responsible for deciding who’s eligible for assistance provided through HUD.

Different PHAs may require different qualifications for applicants for Public Housing. However, HUD has a general list of eligibility terms that you need to keep in mind.

• Having a criminal record may disqualify you from receiving Public Housing benefits
• You’ll need to meet a certain low-income standard.
• Public housing is meant for US citizens and eligible immigrants only.

Keep in mind that even if you qualify, you’ll most likely be placed on a waiting list to receive your public housing. According to HUD, the Public Housing program serves around 1.2 million households in America.

Mixed-Income Housing (Privately Owned Subsidized Housing)

Not every type of subsidized housing is federally-owned, some of them are owned privately. One of the advantages of privately owned subsidized housing is it may come with short or no waitlists. These homes are the property of either property management companies or private landlords. The reason why these entities would provide such a service is that they may get some tax incentives for providing housing units at discounted rates for eligible tenants.

Prices for these units may vary according to the complexes they’re in. Some of these landlords may have fixed discounted prices on these units, while others may base rent prices on how much you earn. So, don’t expect the same pricing strategies everywhere, they may vary according to where you go. You’ll also need to check in with these landlords, as well as your local PHAs regarding eligibility. But, in a general sense, you need to meet the following qualifications to be eligible for this kind of housing:

• You’ll need to pass a background check. There is a chance you might need to provide references.
• Every area will have certain income-related requirements. So, make sure you check those.
• Landlords will likely have their own application processes, so you’ll need to go through those.

Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 Housing

This housing assistance program is very different from the ones we mentioned above. Instead of choosing an option within a set list of subsidized homes, the government uses this program to help you pay your rent in whatever qualifying house you choose. There are certain rules to this program, of course. HUD designed this program to assist cost-burdened households. HUD recognizes these households as ones who pay more than 30% of their income towards housing. That’s why HUD provides this voucher to eligible applicants. Those eligible applicants may pay up to 30% of their income for their housing, and the voucher is meant to cover the rest.

How Can I Be Eligible For Section 8 Housing?

Almost all government assistance programs will require you to meet certain qualifying criteria before providing you with its benefits. Section 8 is no different. This is another one of those programs HUD gives to local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to manage. That means eligibility for the program may vary according to which PHA you go to for your application. However,  there’s a general guideline regarding eligibility for the program.

First of all, applicants will need to be over the age of 18. Besides that, eligible applicants need to be US citizens or eligible noncitizens. Whether or not these noncitizens may qualify depends on their residence status. Permanent residents should be as eligible as citizens. However, temporary and nonofficial immigrants may have problems with their applications. Mixed-status families that include both eligible and non-eligible members may get reduced benefits.

Second, you’ll need to have as clean of a criminal record as possible. HUD is pretty iffy about giving this kind of assistance to people with prior criminal records, especially drug-related crimes. HUD, as well as your PHA, are most likely going to focus on the 3 years prior to your application. So, let’s say you apply for Section 8 in November 2022, then you don’t want to have anything on your record starting October 2019.

There Are Other Eligibility Terms Required By PHAs

HUD created this program to help low-income folks out. With that in mind, it only makes sense that HUD would have a maximum income standard for eligible applicants. It wouldn’t make sense to have that limit in Dollar amounts, since each state has different levels of wealth. That’s why HUD will accept applicants who make no more than 50% of their local median household income level. For example, in New York, the median household income is $71,117. So, eligible applicants for Section 8 in New York must make no more than $35,558 per year.

On top of that, PHAs have certain rules regarding your potential Section 8 housing situation. First of all, if eligible for the housing voucher, you’ll need to find a house whose landlord will accept it as a form of payment. Moreover, PHAs have certain limits on household sizes that are paid for through Section 8.

How To Apply For Housing Choice Vouchers/Section 8 Housing

• Contact your local PHA. You can find contact information for your nearest PHA through this directory.
• Ask them about their eligibility terms for the Section 8 program. Make sure you meet all of them, including the main ones, such as the age, citizenship status and criminal record.
• Keep in mind that PHAs will most likely prioritize special cases, such as families that include elderly people, people with disabilities, veterans, and cases of homelessness. Local residents may also be prioritized.
• Fill in the Section 8 application form. It’s super important to only give truthful and accurate information. Otherwise, you might risk delays or perhaps even disqualification from the program.
• Hand in the application, and wait for your PHA to respond. They might take months to process your application, so try to be patient. Don’t worry these applications are free!
• If the PHA accepts your application, chances are they’ll put you on a wait list. The reason behind that is that there are tons of applications that they need to process on a daily basis.

The Documents You Need For Your Section 8 Application

As we’ve already mentioned, different PHAs may have different requirements.  So, although we’re giving you the general list of documents you might need for your application, you should definitely confirm with your local PHA if they need any other documents.

• Birth certificates for all family members
• Social security cards for all family members
• Driver’s license
• State or alternate government-issued photo ID
• Passports for registered alien/immigrant family members, along with immigration papers
• Signed verification of immigrant status
• Social Security Verification Letter and Proof of Benefits
• Proof of income (receipts, tax returns, W2)
• Bank statements
• Documentation of public assistance benefits
• Information on any owned asset

You May Be Able To Move Up That Wait List

As you can imagine, tons of people would want to get their hands on that voucher. After all, it does pay some of your rent for you, if you’re eligible. For that reason, the wait list for Section 8 applicants can get seriously long. You can hack your way around it by applying in several PHAs at the same time. You can also look for PHAs with shorter wait lists. However, PHAs prioritize cases that display the most need for assistance. So if you fit any of the following categories, you might have the chance to move your application up the wait list:

• Provide that your current living circumstances are not safe and/or sanitary. That proof can include cases such as homelessness, and dangerous accommodation.
• Give your local PHA rent receipts that show that you pay 50% or more for your housing.
• Show proof that you have someone who needs the extra help in your family, such as an elderly person or a disabled person.

You Should Also Look Into Other Sources For Assistance

Besides the assistance programs we mentioned above, there are tons of other assistance provided by the American Government. The federal government provides some of these assistance opportunities. However, state governments also have their own programs. That’s why you should check out Benefits.gov to get a wide selection of programs that you could be eligible for.

Besides that, there are non-profit organizations that aim to improve the life of Americans. When it comes to housing assistance, there are many of those organizations, such as the National Alliance To End Homelessness. So the more you look for assistance opportunities, the more likely you are to find solutions that could help you out.

Conclusion

Alright, so we agreed that housing is getting more and more expensive each day. While that can generate issues for people earning moderate or higher incomes. But, this creates a serious issue for Americans who are already having a hard time with keeping up with the daily expenses that come with living in America. That’s why the government has a lot of these assistance programs in place. The idea is to help make American lives a little easier, but making basic expenses a little more affordable.

It is important however to take the time to research the kinds of assistance programs available for you. You should also put effort into learning whether you’re eligible for the assistance programs you find. Otherwise, you’d be risking wasting your time and energy on something that might not benefit you at all. If you go for governmental assistance programs such as Public Housing or Housing Choice Vouchers, or you might even choose assistance through non-profit organizations, just make sure you’re eligible for them,  so you can receive their intended benefits.