How to Apply for Texas Section 8

Texas Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program offers rental assistance to low-income individuals and families living in Texas. Financially struggling families can’t afford to pay rent for decent housing. Section 8 assistance is for such families so that they can afford safe and sanitary residence in the public housing market.

The program is funded by U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered by local Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). The PHA receives applications for the programs and maintains a waiting list. A PHA will close the waiting list when it runs out of funds or has already received enough applications considering the funds it has received. Applicants will need to confirm that the waiting list is open before filing the application. Eligible individuals and families can apply with more than one PHA to be sure that they have a better chance of getting Section 8 assistance because of long waiting lists with most PHAs.

Texas Section 8 participants are free to choose a house that meets their requirements. Once a participant has picked a housing, a PHA representative will inspect it for quality and safety standards. If the housing meets HUD’s standards, participant will be allowed to sign a contract of lease with the landlord. The PHA will also sign a contract with the landlord to provide the rental subsidy directly to the landlord. Texas Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program participants can use this tool to search for an affordable Section 8 housing in Texas (http://www.hud.gov/apps/section8/step2.cfm?state=TX%2CTexas).

When a participant signs a contract with the landlord, he/she will be responsible to act as a responsible tenant. The landlord will be able to eject the Section 8 tenant on any grounds that can result in ejection of a regular tenant.

Who can Qualify for Section 8?

Texas Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program requires applicants to meet the following program requirements to receive rental assistance.

• Annual Gross Income: Texas Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program is for low income residents and that’s the reason program uses annual gross income to determine applicants’ eligibility for the program. The program provides rental assistance only to those who have income below 50% of the median income level. The program has a policy to provide 75% vouchers to applicants with income below 30% of the median income level.

• Citizenship: Applicants should be U.S citizens or a qualified aliens with necessary legal documents. A household with at least one U.S citizen or a qualified alien will be able to qualify for the program.

• Residence: Texas Section 8 assistance is only available to residents of Texas. If you’re living outside the Texas, you’ll need to apply with PHAs that operate in your state.

• Family status: Applicants will need to fall within the definition of family. It may include disabled, elderly, and displaced individuals.

• Background check: PHA will run a background check on eligible participants to ensure that they will prove to be good tenants. The program will not accept anyone who has been evicted from public housing on a previous occasion because of drug-related criminal activity.

How to Apply

To apply for Texas Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, you can follow these simple steps.

Locate a PHA office: Start by locating a PHA office. You can use this link (http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts/states/tx.cfm) to find all PHA offices and contact information including telephone number and physical address.

Apply at PHA: Once you’ve located the PHA office in your region, visit the office to fill out an application for Section 8. The PHA will determine your eligibility and put you on the waiting list if you’re eligible.

If you’ve questions or need help about applying for Texas Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, you can email your questions at pihirc@firstpic.org or call at (800) 955-2232.