The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program provides housing assistance, in the form of Section 8 vouchers, to low-income families. The Section 8 vouchers are used to help the family pay for housing. Local public housing agencies (PHA) administer vouchers based on household income and family size and recipients are free to choose any housing that meets program requirements.
How does one qualify for Section 8?
To be eligible for Housing Choice in California you must:
1. Have low or very low income based on annual gross income; the family's income may not exceed 50% of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which the family chooses to live.
2. Be in need of decent, safe, and/or sanitary housing.
3. The applicant must meet the documentation requirements of citizenship or eligible immigration status. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for section 8 housing voucher assistance.
4. Anyone evicted from public housing for drug-related criminal activity are ineligible for assistance for at least 3 years from the date of the eviction.
5. Other factors: Local housing authorities may consider additional factors such as family size, disability status, and the local demand for housing vouchers when determining eligibility.
Section 8 Houses By Cities:
A
B
C
- Calabasas
- Calexico
- California City
- Calimesa
- Calipatria
- Calistoga
- Camarillo
- Cambria
- Campbell
- Capitola
- Carlsbad
- Carmichael
- Carpinteria
- Carson
- Castaic
- Castro Valley
- Castroville
- Cathedral City
- Ceres
- Cerritos
- Chico
- Chino
- Chino Hills
- Chowchilla
- Chula Vista
- Citrus Heights
- Claremont
- Clayton
- Clearlake
- Cloverdale
- Clovis
- Coachella
- Coalinga
- Colton
- Colusa
- Compton
- Concord
- Corcoran
- Corning
- Corona
- Coronado
- Corte Madera
- Costa Mesa
- Cotati
- Covina
- Crestline
- Culver City
- Cupertino
- Cutler
- Cypress
E
F
G
L
- La Habra
- La Mesa
- La Mirada
- La Palma
- La Puente
- La Quinta
- La Verne
- Ladera Ranch
- Lafayette
- Laguna Beach
- Laguna Hills
- Laguna Niguel
- Laguna Woods
- Lake Arrowhead
- Lake Elsinore
- Lake Forest
- Lakeport
- Lakeside
- Lakewood
- Lamont
- Lancaster
- Larkspur
- Lathrop
- Lawndale
- Lemon Grove
- Lemoore
- Lincoln
- Lindsay
- Live Oak
- Livermore
- Livingston
- Lodi
- Loma Linda
- Lomita
- Lompoc
- Long Beach
- Loomis
- Los Alamitos
- Los Altos
- Los Angeles
- Los Banos
- Los Gatos
- Los Osos
- Lucerne Valley
- Lynwood
M
- Madera
- Magalia
- Malibu
- Manhattan Beach
- Manteca
- Marina
- Marina del Rey
- Martinez
- Marysville
- Maywood
- McKinleyville
- Mecca
- Mendota
- Menifee
- Menlo Park
- Mentone
- Merced
- Midway City
- Mill Valley
- Millbrae
- Milpitas
- Mission Viejo
- Modesto
- Monrovia
- Montclair
- Montebello
- Monterey
- Monterey Park
- Moorpark
- Moraga
- Moreno Valley
- Morgan Hill
- Morro Bay
- Mountain View
- Murrieta
N
O
R
- Ramona
- Rancho Cordova
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Rancho Mirage
- Rancho Palos Verdes
- Rancho Santa Margarita
- Red Bluff
- Redding
- Redlands
- Redondo Beach
- Redwood City
- Reedley
- Rialto
- Richmond
- Ridgecrest
- Rio Linda
- Rio Vista
- Ripon
- Riverbank
- Riverside
- Rocklin
- Rodeo
- Rohnert Park
- Rosamond
- Rosemead
- Roseville
- Rowland Heights
S
- Sacramento
- Salida
- Salinas
- Salton City
- San Anselmo
- San Bernardino
- San Bruno
- San Carlos
- San Clemente
- San Diego
- San Dimas
- San Fernando
- San Francisco
- San Gabriel
- San Jacinto
- San Jose
- San Juan Capistrano
- San Leandro
- San Lorenzo
- San Luis Obispo
- San Marcos
- San Marino
- San Martin
- San Mateo
- San Pablo
- San Rafael
- San Ramon
- Sanger
- Santa Ana
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Clarita
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Fe Springs
- Santa Maria
- Santa Monica
- Santa Paula
- Santa Rosa
- Santee
- Saratoga
- Sausalito
- Scotts Valley
- Seal Beach
- Seaside
- Sebastopol
- Selma
- Shafter
- Shasta Lake
- Sierra Madre
- Signal Hill
- Simi Valley
- Solana Beach
- Soledad
- Solvang
- Sonoma
- Soquel
- South El Monte
- South Gate
- South Lake Tahoe
- South Pasadena
- South San Francisco
- Spring Valley
- Stanford
- Stanton
- Stevenson Ranch
- Stockton
- Suisun City
- Sunnyvale
T
W
Section 8 House By Counties:
O
P
Steps to Get Section 8 Housing or Section 8 Apartments in California
1. Find Public Housing Agency (PHA) in California
The Public Housing Voucher is overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is administered by local PHAs. Your public housing agency in California can help you find and afford low-income housing
2. Determine if you are eligible.
Applicant eligibility is based on both the family size and the total annual gross income. In general, the income may not exceed 50 percent of the area’s Federal Poverty Limit.
Section 8 is only available to US citizens and certain categories of legal immigration status. The public housing agency(PHA) in California will help determine if you are eligible for Section 8 Housing.
Public Housing Agencies(PHA) are required to distribute 75% of vouchers to applicants whose income is less than 30% of the median county income
3. Get Section 8 Applications
Housing section 8 applications in California are free. It may be available online, by mail or at the local housing authority's office.
4. Apply for Section 8
Applying for the section 8 is a fairly easy process. During the application process, the PHA will collect information on
- Family Income
- Total Assets
- Family Size
The Public Housing Authority will do income verification and identity verification to check your eligibility. They will verify this information with other local agencies, your employer and bank and determine the amount of the housing assistance payment against section 8 housing list.
5. Find out Section 8 Waiting List in California
If the Housing Authority determines that your family is eligible, you will be put on a waiting list, unless it is able to assist you immediately. Once your name is reached on the waiting list, the PHA will contact you and issue to you a payment voucher.
PHAs may give a preference to a family who is
- 1. Homeless or living in substandard housing
- 2. Paying more than 50% of its income for rent
- 3. Involuntarily displaced.
If there is a high demand, remaining eligible section 8 applications are picked based on random lottery. The PHA must provide reasoning for rejection. If an applicants is not happy with rejection can request an informal review.
6. Find Section 8 Housing or Section 8 Apartments in California
The section 8 housing choice voucher program allows applicant to pick eligible house or apartment that accept section 8 unit based on family size. Tenants will typically pay 30 percent of their monthly income toward rent.
Once individual find a house or an apartment that accepts housing vouchers it must pass physical inspection. A housing voucher payment goes direct to landlord to pay for the section 8 rental house.
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is section 8 housing?
The housing choice voucher program is the federal government's program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.
The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects.
2. What is a housing voucher
The housing choice voucher program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.
3. What is the most section 8 will pay?
The housing voucher payments cover most of the voucher holder's rent. On average, each household will pay somewhere between 30% and 40% of its income on rent
4. What is counted as income for Section 8?
HUD define income as
- The full amount, before any payroll deductions, of wages and salaries, overtime pay, commissions, fees, tips and bonuses, and other compensation for personal services;
- The net income from the operation of a business or profession.
- the 401(k) money is considered an asset for Section 8 housing.
5. how to get section 8 immediately?
There is a limited funding from the federal government and a shortage of low-income housing units. The process for how to apply is still long, complicated, and time consuming.
6. How long does it take to get Section 8 voucher after interview?
When a PHA in California issues a voucher, it give the assisted family at least 60 days to obtain housing. A PHA can extend the time it allots to a family on the based on various factors.