What is Section 8?
How do I qualify for Section 8?
How
do I apply for Section 8?
How much rent will I have to pay if I have a Section 8 voucher?
Can I choose an apartment with rent higher than the Fair Market Rent established by HUD?
How long does it take to get a voucher?
How do I find a home once I have my voucher?
Do I have to rent an apartment in the same city or county where I received my Section 8 voucher?
What is
Section 8?
Section 8, or the Housing Choice Voucher Program, is a Federal housing
program which provides
rental
payment
assistance
to
qualifying
tenants.
To
make
rents
affordable,
Section
8
pays
any
rent
which
exceeds
30%
of
a
tenants
adjusted
monthly
income.
For
example,
if
your
landlord
charges
$500
per
month
for
rent
and
you
make
$1,000
per
month,
you
would
pay
$300
(30%
of
your
monthly
income)
and
Section
8
would
pay
$200
(the
difference
between
what
you
can
afford
and
what
your
landlord
charges).
How
do I qualify for Section 8?
To qualify for Section 8,
your
family
must be
very
low
income (below 50% of
the Area Median Income).
|
INCOME LIMITS - SECTION 8 PROGRAM |
|
1 Person
|
$18,050
|
|
2 Persons
|
$20,600
|
|
3 Persons
|
$23,200
|
|
4 Persons
|
$25,750
|
|
5 Persons
|
$27,800
|
|
6 Persons
|
$29,850
|
|
7 Persons
|
$31,950
|
|
8 Persons
|
$34,000
|
How
do I apply for Section 8?
Families
wishing
to
apply
for
rental
assistance
with
the
Housing
Authority
of
the
City
of
Franklin
must
complete
a
written
application
and
submit
it
to
the
office.
Application
forms
may
be
downloaded
or
they
may
be
obtained
at
the
office.
Please
note
that
we
do
not
accept
faxed
applications.
How
much rent will I have to pay if I have a Section 8 voucher?
Your rent payment is based on your income. You need to figure out your
household's total annual income. Once this is done, you need to subtract
any mandatory deductions, such as child care, disability assistance, and
medical expenses. This is your adjusted annual income. Divide this amount
by 12, which gives you your monthly adjusted income. To determine your
share of rent, it is the highest of the following amounts:
30 percent of the family's monthly adjusted income; or
10 percent of the family's monthly income.
The
maximum amount that can be paid by the Franklin Housing Authority is as
follows:
|
PAYMENT
STANDARDS - SECTION 8 PROGRAM |
|
Efficiency
|
$460
|
|
1
Bedroom
|
$503
|
|
2
Bedrooms
|
$600
|
|
3
Bedrooms
|
$759
|
|
4
Bedrooms
|
$860
|
Can
I choose an apartment with rent higher than the Fair Market Rent
established by HUD?
Yes. But you will have to pay any additional rent charges in excess of
the
Payment
Standard.
So, if the
Payment
Standard
for the area is $400 and
the apartment you want rents for $600 you will have to pay $200 in
addition to 30% of your adjusted income.
How
long does it take to get a voucher?
There
is
not
a
simple
answer
to
this
question,
because
an
applicants'
wait
will
depend
on
the
date
and
time
you
submitted
the
application
and
how
many
others
are
ahead
of
you.
In
most
cases
it
takes
approximately
2-3
months.
How
do I find a home once I have my voucher?
So you have your voucher. Now comes the fun part. You go shopping for
an apartment. You may use your voucher with any
landlord that accepts
Section 8. Many landlords accept Section 8 because it is a dependable
revenue stream. But landlords are not required by law to accept Section 8
vouchers.
When you find an apartment or home that meets all Section 8 program
requirements, including a physical inspection to insure the building is
decent, safe and sanitary, the housing authority executes a contract with
the landlord to pay
a
portion
of
the
rent on your behalf.
Do
I have to rent an apartment in the same city or county where I received my
Section 8 voucher?
Yes.
Tenants
who
do
live
in
the
City
of
Franklin
when
they
apply
may
take
their
voucher
anywhere
in
the
United
States.
Tenants
who
do
not
live
in
the
City
of
Franklin
when
they
apply
must
remain
in
the
jurisdiction
of
the
housing
authority
that
issues
the
voucher
for
12
months.
After
12
months,
tenants
may
then
use
the
voucher
to
lease
a
unit
anywhere
in
the
United
States
where
there
is
a
housing
agency
operating
a
housing
choice
voucher
program.
This
feature
of
the
program
is
called
"portability."
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