How to Qualify and Apply for Nevada Section 8

Application Instructions for Nevada Section 8

Step 1

Residents of Nevada who are having difficulties finding affordable and sanitary housing have options. Through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) the population of Nevada has access to:

Public housing including senior housing complexes
The Housing Choice Voucher program

On the local level Section 8 in Nevada is managed by public housing authorities (PHAs). In Nevada there are four housing authorities including:

Nevada Rural Housing Authority in Carson City
Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority in Las Vegas
Southern Nevada Senior Housing Authority in Las Vegas
Reno Public Housing Authority in Reno

These PHAs provide access and applications for Section 8 services. You are required to contact a local PHA office to get on a waitlist. There are waitlists at each of the public housing facilities, as well as for the Housing Choice Voucher program.

The public housing program provides individuals and families that can’t find a place to live with affordable housing. Through the program you are placed in a project-based unit where the rent amount is pre-set. You are required to stay in that unit if you receive Nevada Section 8 assistance. If you are an elderly individual you can apply for the project-based senior housing.

Families and households that are having difficulties paying rent, but can find their own rental home, will want to apply to the Housing Choice Voucher program. This program via Section 8 provides you with a subsidy that ensures your household will not pay more than 30 percent of its adjusted income on rent. The subsidy is paid to the landlord where you are renting. As such, the landlord must be approved by the Nevada Section 8 program. Otherwise, you can choose your own privately-owned home to rent, as long as the monthly rent does not exceed $2,000.

Who can Qualify for Section 8?

The Housing Choice Voucher and project-based housing programs are eligible for individuals and households that earn less than a low-income limit. However, to begin receiving low-income housing assistance you must apply for Nevada Section 8. Start by reviewing your household income and family size to see where you are on the income limits summary. Households that meet the low-income requirement must also meet other requirements:

You must be a full-time resident currently living in Nevada.
Your household income must include the income of all working individuals.
You must be 18 to submit an application for Section 8.
Everyone in your household must be either a US citizen or naturalized immigrant with permanent residency status.
No members of your household can have a criminal record.
If anyone in your household is disabled or elderly, then your household has priority placement for Section 8 services.
If your household is currently homeless in Nevada or has been involuntary displaced, this will prioritize your application.

To verify this information you will be required to provide legal documents, IDs, Social Security cards, and birth certificates when applying for Section 8 programs. You will also have to go through a criminal background check, as will the other adult members of your household.

How to Apply

Apply for Nevada Section 8 by contacting your local PHA office. You will be provided with a list of open waitlists for either project-based housing or the Housing Choice Voucher program. Notice that the PHA where you apply must be in the city or area where you will be living when you are approved for Section 8 services.

As for the public housing waitlists in Nevada, all are currently closed including:

Reno Housing Authority public housing waiting list
Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority public housing for senior and disabled waiting list
Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority public housing waiting list

For the waitlists for the Housing Choice Voucher program, the following are all closed:

Nevada Rural Housing Authority
Reno Housing Authority
Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority

Once these waitlists are open again, this information will be noted in local newspapers and on the regional and public housing authority websites.

After you are placed on a waitlist, then you will be one step closer to getting an application for the Nevada Section 8 programs. This will involve a lengthy application process that includes a detailed review of your household’s finances and rental history. Your household may also be interviewed before a decision is made.

For households approved for the HCV program you must find affordable housing that meets Section 8 requirements so you can start using the services.

To learn more about the waitlists and when these may be opened to the public contact your HUD representative at the Las Vegas Field Office or Reno Field Office.