How To Apply For Section 8

Knowing how to apply for Section 8 housing can help low-income families get back on their feet. Section 8 housing is a government-based program that basically pays the rent of low-income families, disabled people or low-income senior citizens. Applying for Section 8 can be a bit of a pain but well worth the effort if you need help with housing.

To apply for Section 8 housing, you will need:

• Phone
• Access to the internet
• Means of travel

1. Make sure you are eligible. Section 8 is very specific on who receives help. To be eligable for Section 8, you need to be in the extremely low to low income bracket for the area you are applying in. This can range from 30 percent of the local median income up to 80 percent. This varies by household size and can be found at Census.gov.
2. Call your local public housing agency (PHA). You will need to contact PHA directly to be sure they are accepting applications for Section 8, which is utilized by a very large number of people already. The local PHA number varies based on your region, so check out Portal.hud.gov for the closest office near you.
3. If you are lucky enough to be told they are still accepting applications, get down to the PHA office as fast as you can. These spots do not just sit open all day, so you have to hustle down there and fill out an application in person. If your area is not stuck in the dark ages, they may have applications available online as well.
4. The waiting game. Because of the ridiculous number of Section 8 applicants, you can be waiting for a really long time to hear back from a case worker. All you can do at this point is hang around and hope to get accepted.