Application for housing under Section 8
Section 8 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1974 created a program of federal housing subsidies for people with low economic resources. The objective of this program is to allow low-income people to freely select their home, so that poverty does not focus on specific sectors. This program allows people to choose safe, decent and sanitary homes, despite having scarce resources.
The Section 8 Program can be implemented in different ways. One of the main ones is through the assignment of vouchers to the participants that have already proven to be eligible. Another modality is to assign these benefits to a housing project, which will allow people to enjoy them through the Section 8 Program. Likewise, there are some vouchers that work in all municipalities and that can be moved. The vouchers that are provided for the municipal government only serve for housing within that municipality.
How does the Section 8 Program work?
When a family goes to live in a residence covered by the Section 8 Program, it will only pay a portion of the rent. This amount will be according to your income and includes the deposit and the responsibility you have on the apartment. On the other hand, the Section 8 Program is responsible for paying the rent difference to the owner of the property. The items that the parties must pay may vary due to changes in income or the reduction of the subsidy.
There are several Section 8 programs
In some cases, the Section 8 Program covers the entire rent. This is known as "negative income." However, assistance in the form of personal housing vouchers (tenant based Section 8) is the best known and most widely used. These are the famous vouchers. It is for the payment of rent of private homes of low income people. The general formula is that the person pays approximately 30% of their household income and the government pays the rest. These types of vouchers follow the person wherever they move within the United States and / or its territories, as long as there is a government agency or office that administers the funds.
Other programs are:
Assistance in the form of rent attached to units within multifamily housing projects - housing is offered in a specific place, which means that you will not be able to choose it. Nor can you take the voucher with you, but once you vacate the space, you lose the benefit. However, this program has additional benefits, since this type of housing has facilities and specialized personnel to provide cost-free support services to people with disabilities and / or specific medical conditions. See the list of housing projects that have units with this subsidy. You must communicate directly with the administrator of each project to be considered.
Assistance for the purchase of a home or Buyers Program - you can use the voucher to pay the monthly expenses of your own home or to help you pay for the purchase of your home. In Puerto Rico, it applies to families that have a voucher and receive more than $ 13,400 per year in assistance. They will be able to pay part of their mortgage with the voucher granted.
Voucher program for veterans Who can apply?
Majority of age-The person requesting must be of legal age (21 years old) or be emancipated
Families - includes families of a single person or a group of people who live together without having a genetic relationship with each other.
Economic situation - as a general rule, to be eligible for these grants it is necessary that 75% of applicants have an "extremely low" income. The rest of the applicants can come from "very low" income
Citizenship - The person requesting must have legal residence or American citizenship
Crime Commission - For a person to be eligible, he or she can not have committed a violent crime or crime related to controlled substances
Payments- The applicant can not have been evicted for lack of payment of rental fees
Supplementary documents- These documents include negative certification from the CRIM and the Department of the Treasury, a Criminal Record certificate and evidence of filing of returns for the last 5 years.
Once the voucher is granted...
The person has the right to go to the market and locate one of the homes that has been identified as eligible for the Section 8 Program. Once the residence is located, the owner of the home must complete the Request for Lease Approval. The Public Housing Administration will send an inspector, who will review the property to make sure it meets federal standards regarding safety and health.
The contract that is signed between the parties - owner of the property and the tenant - is one year. In turn, the owner of the property signs a contract with the Public Housing Administration, through which he will receive the rent subsidy. These contracts may be renewed annually.
Can the benefits of the Section 8 Program be lost?
Yes. The violation of the contract that is made between the parties is a sufficient reason to lose these benefits. Some examples of violations are lying on the application or regarding income, charging additional money to the tenants, lying about the family composition or that the head of the family or a member commits a violent crime, related to drugs or sexual offenses. You can also cancel a contract for non-payment, for not taking proper care of the property or leaving the house to another person.
Duties of the Public Housing Administration
Have the dwelling units eligible for the Section 8 Program duly identified, in areas with a low concentration of poverty
Maintain communication among participants, landlords, communities and other agencies to facilitate this service
Ensure that a non-discrimination policy is implemented in all processes related to subsidized housing with federal funds. This includes prohibiting discrimination based on race, sex, social status, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or because of being a victim or survivor of domestic violence.
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