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Section 8 is a federal rent subsidy program that
provides vouchers to households and helps them bridge
the gap between their incomes and rents. The New York
City Housing Authority (NYCHA) administers the majority
of vouchers in New York City.
Key Program Points
Subsidy/Rent Levels
Eligibility Requirements
Application Process
Finding a Section 8 Apartment
Common Section 8 Issues
Key
Program Points
- Section 8 applicants must meet one of Section
8’s emergency priorities to apply for a voucher.
- Victims of domestic violence (VDV) are among the
groups considered an emergency priority and receiving
Section 8 vouchers from NYCHA at this time.
- VDV applicants must meet NYCHA’s documentation
criteria to be certified as a victim of domestic
violence by Section 8.
- Applicants must be 18 or older and earning some
source of income (employment, PA, SSI) that falls
under Section 8’s income limits.
- Section 8 tenants pay 30% of their income or their
Public Assistance shelter allowance towards rent.
- Section 8 does not pay a security deposit, broker’s
fees, or any rent upfront.
NOTE: Domestic violence and homeless shelter residents
applying for Section 8 through the “Homeless” Priority
are no longer being called in to receive vouchers.
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Subsidy/Rent Levels
Click
here
for information about Section 8’s subsidy levels
(“Fair Market Rent”). Section 8 provides
households with a voucher up to “Fair Market
Rent” for a particular apartment size, based
on their family composition. Section 8 does permit
third party payments and will sometimes allow households
to pay up to 40% of their income so that they can obtain
an apartment at a level above Fair Market Rent.
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Eligibility Requirements
- Age: The head of household must be 18
or older to receive a Section 8 voucher
- Income: Households must be receiving some
source of income (i.e. employment, public assistance,
or SSI) that does not exceed Section
8’s income
limits.
- Priority Documentation: NYCHA Section 8 applicants must meet one of Section 8’s emergency priorities. In order to receive emergency priority status as a victim of domestic violence, applicants must meet NYCHA’s VDV documentation criteria. Please note that in addition to the documents shown on NYCHA’s list of criteria, NYCHA is now accepting the District Attorney’s Complaint as an item for Category A.
NOTE: Certification as a victim of domestic violence
is unrelated to domestic violence shelter residency.
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Application Process
Section 8 applications can be obtained and submitted
at local
borough offices.
Section 8 applications should include priority documentation,
family birth certificates, proof of income, and social
security numbers for all family members over 6 years
of age. Applicants have 30 days from the initial application
date to submit all of the necessary documents.
Applicants that receive a Section 8 voucher and find
an apartment will be responsible for submitting the
apartment paperwork to Section 8 for inspection and
approval. Voucher holders can use the federal Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) list
of move-in conditions as
a guide to help ensure a successful inspection and
approval process.
Section 8 vouchers are usually valid for 6 months.
If an apartment is not found or approved within the
allotted time period, an extension request should be
made to the appropriate Section 8 office and worker
before the voucher expires. (Obtaining an extension
can be difficult and may require the aid of an advocate.)
Click
here for a flow chart that provides a complete
overview of the Section 8 application and approval
process.
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Finding a Section 8 Apartment
Victims of domestic violence will be responsible
for finding an apartment on their own and should be
aware that they can not rent an apartment in certain
excluded zip codes depending on where any domestic
violence incidents occurred. For help finding an apartment,
visit our Finding
Housing section.
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Common Section 8 Issues
- Application Ineligibility: The main eligibility
obstacles for Section 8 applicants are: immigration
status,
criminal
background,
and rental arrears from a previous NYCHA or Section 8 apartment.
Click on the issue area you are facing for more information
on how to overcome these obstacles.
- Section 8 Transfers: Click
here if you
need to information about transferring out of your
Section 8 apartment.
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