Application Instructions for Virginia Section 8
Step 1
The Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) works with low-income households currently living in Virginia. The goal for VHDA is to provide these households with access to safe, affordable housing. Whether you are struggling to avoid your monthly rent or you cannot find a safe place to live, Virginia Section 8 programs can assist you. These programs are administered under the leadership of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) locally by public housing authorities (PHA). To be eligible for the services you have to meet certain requirements, and then your place on a waitlist.
The current Virginia section 8 program available to you including the following:
- Rental Unit Accessibility Modification (RUAM) program
- Public housing services
- Housing Choice Voucher program
The RUAM program provides rental units for people living with disabilities. These rental units typically require extensive modifications to meet disability needs, and this program helps to find those modifications and make this housing affordable.
Public housing services under the Virginia Section program provides households with a safe place to live. The rent for public housing is determined according to area low-income limits. When you apply for public housing under Section 8 you are applying for a specific apartment complex. If you decide to move, your housing assistance it is no longer applicable, and you will have to reapply to a new housing unit if you want to receive Section 8 in the future.
The Housing Choice Voucher program is for households that have housing but are unable to afford their monthly rent. Additionally, you can sign up for the HCV program and find your own residence as long as your landlord is a part of the Section 8 program. If you decide to move you can port your voucher to another city in Virginia. The goal with the voucher is to provide you with a subsidy so you aren’t paying more than 30 percent of your income toward rent.
In order to receive either of these Section 8 services in Virginia you must first qualify for low-income housing assistance.
Who can Qualify for Section 8?
Income requirements are the most important aspect of qualifying for Section 8 services in Virginia. Your household income must not exceed the income limits for your household size. Your household must make less than the low-income, very low-income, or extremely low-income limits. The less you earn, the more you will be eligible to receive for your housing subsidy, or via a deduction in your public housing rent.
If you meet the low-income requirements you are on the right track. However, HUD requires your household to meet additional guidelines for eligibility. These include:
- Your household cannot have any members who are here in the US living illegally.
- The applicant for low-income assistance must be at least 18 years old at the time of the application.
- You all must be able to undergo a criminal background check without convictions for drugs or sexual crimes.
- If your household has a good rental history, this is in your favor.
Additionally, if someone living with you is elderly and/or disabled this means that you must receive priority processing for your application. However, if you do not meet the HUD eligibility guidelines, or the low-income requirement, your application will be denied. To prove eligibility you will be required to submit extensive documentation and proof along with your application. You will also have to complete an interview with a PHA agent.
How to Apply
To start the application process, connect with your local PHA office for an application to a waitlist. There are several waitlists in Virginia, many of which are open now. For example, in Virginia there are 29 waitlists for public housing, and the majority are now open to applicants. As for the Housing Choice Voucher program there are six waitlists that are open. Depending on the need for affordable housing in your area, your waitlist time will vary greatly.
While you wait for your name to be selected on a waitlist, check out the affordable housing properties in Virginia. There are more than 136,000 subsidized apartments that are available for the Housing Choice Voucher program. If you have applied to this program you can go ahead and start searching for a place to meet the HUD requirements. You may also be able to find an affordable home to rent in the instance that you do not qualify for Virginia Section 8 services.
For more on how to apply and regarding the waitlists in Virginia contact either of the following HUD offices:
- Richmond Field Office
- District of Columbia Field Office