Housing Choice Voucher Program for Single Mothers
As a family or an individual under the low-income category, you may be eligible for the relief offered by the Section 8 Assistance Program. The program in recent times is now referred to as the Housing Choice Vouchers, and after reading this article you will be informed about what the program entails, how you may be able to benefit from it, and the right steps to take when applying for the program.
What is the Housing Choice Vouchers Program?
The federal government of the United States initiated a program to assist low-income families, senior citizens, and disabled individuals by offering them a means of living in private market homes that are of clean, safe, and decent standards. This program enables families or individuals to choose their own homes, whether it’s a single-family apartment, or a townhouse home, or a regular apartment.
Having access to low-cost homes should be a must for families and singles in the United States. The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program makes provision for excellent rental assistance from housing agencies in your region. Renters are still required to pay their rent on time. The HCV program provides for single mothers the support they need to live in decent housing which gives them the chance to raise their families successfully.
The program helps single mother pay the rent and recurrent housing bills for thousands of single mothers, including their children. If you are eligible for the program, you must look for an approved housing unit and a landowner who participates in the program. If authorized by the PHA, the beneficiary may be able to save the vouchers to buy a house.
How Do Housing Vouchers Function?
The HCV program provides tenant-based rental support so that tenants who stay in at least one unit of little housing quality to another. Landlords are not permitted to partake in this housing program, to give room for mothers who are tenants to participate in the program easily.
Public Housing Agencies are funded solely by the U.S. Department of Housing and urban development, which make the housing implementation done on a local level. Immediately a family is given a housing voucher; they are responsible for finding a home of their choice, albeit the house has to meet the set-out standards by the PHA regarding health and safety policies.
After a successful application, your preferred home will be rented from the landlord, and the PHA will be in charge of paying the landlord the housing subsidy on behalf of the family that took part in the program while the family is expected to pay any difference between the rental charge from the landlord and the subsidized amount.
Will I Have To Wait?
The HUD is not very buoyant in terms of resources needed to run the Housing Choice Vouchers Program, and the demand has never been higher for assistance. It is not rare to see extensive waiting periods after you must have completed your application for the program. Some PHAs even close any further application because they have enough families waiting on their lists than those that can be assisted within a realistic time frame.
Another thing to note is also the case of preferences. PHAs can decide to make local preferences from their large waiting lists, though this depends on how pressing the need is and what circumstances the family currently resides in. The Housing Choice Vouchers Program is a waiting game affair that all gets determined by the importance of your application and current situation.
Eligibility Requirements
Your annual gross income plus family size will determine how eligible you are for the program. Furthermore, the program is currently only available to U.S. citizens and those who have an immigration status that qualifies them for assistance. Only families whose annual earning is 50% of the average income of their county or metro may apply for assistance.
How to Apply
The first step in applying is to contact your local Public Housing Agency https://www.hud.gov/states to submit an application for the Housing Choice Vouchers Program. You may also contact your the HUD office http://www.hud.gov/local/ in your locality in case you have any other queries relating to the program.
Another option available to you is to find a local public housing agency that provides HCV information. Search by city and state, find the nearest office to where you reside and ask about local eligibility requirements. You can also find a HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) office near you. Visit the website http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD for more information.
We hope that this has shown you the potential benefit of applying for the Housing Choice Vouchers Program, and have also been equipped with enough information to help you decide on the best steps to take on how to apply for assistance with the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
