2.2 Eligibility
2.2 Eligibility aetrahan Mon, 01/23/2023 - 13:44To be eligible for a Section 8 subsidy, a participant must be “income-eligible.”1 Unless HUD grants special approval, at least 75% of the subsidies awarded by a PHA in any fiscal year must be awarded to participants who qualify as extremely low income (i.e., income that does not exceed 30% of the Area Median Income).2
Admission is usually done by wait list due to the overwhelming need for affordable housing and the desirability of the Section 8 program, which allows tenants some measure of control in choosing where to live. A person may be on multiple PHA waiting lists in different areas and is not barred from applying if they are already receiving some housing subsidy; if they are granted admission to HCVP, they must then relinquish any other housing subsidy. The PHA must delineate the system of admission preferences that the PHA uses to select applicants from the waiting list, including any residency or other local preference.
Admission can also be granted through special “non-wait list” admissions when funds are made available for a specific population. When this happens, the PHA may admit these families regardless of their wait list position or even if they were not on the wait list at all. This may occur when HUD action would render a family homeless due to the demolition, destruction, transfer, or sale of otherwise assisted housing as well as after a natural disaster. Some PHAs may also have special set-asides for domestic violence agencies or homeless services organizations.