Section 8 Housing Subsidies
posted on 12/11/95
Introduction
Often, when people with disabilities or their parents or
both are ready to move on, issues of housing support are on
everyone's mind. In this brief, you'll find an overview of
a government-based program which can often be worked into a
successful plan for living independently or with support
from others.
Section 8
The Section 8 Rental Assistance Program, funded through the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides
housing subsidies to eligible low-income households. A
Section 8 certificate requires of a landlord an agreement
with the public housing authority, and charging only
approved fair-market rents (for units of given size). A
Section 8 voucher also requires an agreement between the
landlord and the public housing agency, but the landlord can
charge a rent higher than the approved rate for the area.
With a certificate, the low-income family pays 30% of its
income toward the approved rent, and the housing authority
makes up the difference. With a voucher, the household
receives the same subsidy, but can pay as much as it wishes.
To illustrate, a low-income household consisting of one
person, who has SSI/SSP and other income totaling $700 per
month, would likely be approved for a 1-bedroom apartment.
Let's say, the approved rent is $400. With a certificate,
the tenant would pay $210 per month (or, 30% of $700), and
the housing authority would chip in with $190 per month (or,
$400 minus $210). With a voucher, this person might seek a
unit (say, in a nicer neighborhood) renting for $500. The
subsidy ($190 per month) would remain the same, with the
tenant paying $210 plus the difference between actual rent
and the approved rental amount for the area, or an extra
$100 per month.
How can I sign up?
Check in your telephone book, near the beginning, under
Government Pages. If you live in a city, look first for a
Housing Authority office there. If you don't find one, look
for such an office within your county. Sometimes, you will
find a joint housing authority, covering several
municipalities and unincorporated areas. Call that office,
and ask when and where you can sign up. Also ask if they
offer certificates and vouchers. Some large, older cities
have their own public housing, and may offer limited options
with different waiting times. Check out the possibilities.
With long waiting lists (often 3 years of so), some housing
authorities accept new applications only once in awhile,
with little advance notice. Ask if they will take your name
and address and notify you. Ask where opportunities to
apply will be announced (e.g., a section of your local
newspaper). Tell the housing authority representative that
you have a disability and ask whether there is a way to
access after-care certificates or vouchers.
Might I be able to get a subsidy
quicker?
After-care certificates or vouchers are ones set-aside for
persons with disabilities. Some housing authorities have
After-care coordinators. Ask for the name, address, and
telephone number of the nearest one in your area.
Sometimes, use of after-care subsides is a "fast-track" to
getting rental assistance quicker.
Another way you may get assistance quicker is meeting a
federal preference. There are three: (1) paying more than
half your income for rent and utilities; (2) having been
involuntarily displaced from where you are living now (e.g.,
eviction); or (3) living in substandard housing.
If the housing authority helps you (or your landlord) to
rehabilitate the place you live, ask whether upon
completion of the work a certificate will be attached to
your unit. In one instance, in Contra Costa County, a young
woman who uses a wheelchair is working on a plan, wherein a
'friendly investor' (or group of investors) will acquire a
place that needs accessibility and other modifications. The
young woman will move in, and with advance planning work
will begin immediately to modify her home. While
inconvenient for a month or two, once the work is completed
(under a low-interest, moderate rehabilitation loan), a
certificate will come with the unit, and she will have her
rental assistance.
What if I need an
attendant at night?
If you need a night-time attendant, the housing authority
will typically authorize a 2-bedroom unit for you. In this
case, if the fair-market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is
$650 per month, and the income of the disabled person is
$700 per month, the renter will pay $210 (30% of $700) and
the housing authority will paytthe difference of $440 (or,
$650 minus $210).
What about shared
living arrangements, more generally?
It is optional for housing authorities to support shared
living arrangements, meaning situations where two or more
unrelated, low-income adults _ each with their own bedroom _
share a common unit. In the absence of an explicit policy,
a housing authority may permit two people (one with a
Section 8 subsidy, one without) to share a one-bedroom
place. But if, say, two or three unrelated adults share a
two- or three-bedroom place, the housing authority will
typically consider the group a 'family of 2' or 'family of
3,' add their incomes together, and this typically results
in not being eligible under family income guidelines.
If your housing authority supports shared housing, each
person is considered a 'family of 1' and has a right to 1
bedroom within a larger unit. If the approved fair market
rent for a three-bedroom place is $1,100 per month
(including utilities), and each person is expected to pay
one-third or $367 per month, a person with SSI and other
income of $700 per month would pay $210 (30% of $700), and
the housing authority would pay the difference of $157 ($367
minus $210) for that individual.
Not all housing authorities support shared living
arrangements. There are many reasons for this. One is the
administrative cost of overseeing such arrangements. It may
be difficult to determine responsibility for any damage to
property. What happens if one roommate moves out and a
vacancy occurs? Will housemates be recruited and selected
in a non-discriminatory manner?
Shared housing is a way to make shelter more affordable.
Certainly, if you find that sharing is in line with personal
preferences and needs, and that even with sharing rent and
utilities will be close to 50% of a person's income, it
makes a lot of sense to work with your housing authority to
get them to support shared living arrangements.
Overview written by John Shea for Allen, Shea & Associates
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