applying for section 8 in Alaska
How to Apply for Alaska Section 8
The Alaska Section 8 (housing choice voucher) program is a federally funded program that helps low-income families, the elderly and disabled in the state to find and pay for suitable housing. Through the program participants are able to find their own housing such as single family homes, town houses and apartments. The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation is the operational arm of the Alaska Section 8 program. The corporation provides 29 housing sites in 14 communities spread across the state of Alaska. These housing sites come complete with onsite management and other supportive staff, who work to ensure that the housing units meet the requisite health, safety and sanitary standards.
Though the program runs subsidized housing projects, applicants are free to choose houses of their choice and are not necessarily limited to those houses that belong to these projects. The Alaska Section 8 program is administered by the Public Housing Authority (PHA) which is responsible for distributing the housing choice vouchers to beneficiaries of the program.
It should be noted that although a family that receives a housing voucher is free to find suitable accommodation of its choice, these housing units must meet the minimum safety and health standards set by the Public Housing Authority (PHA).
In order to start participating in the Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher), applicants need to meet the programs eligibility requirements. These eligibility requirements are based on the average household income, location of residence and the applicant’s nationality.
If you meet the basic eligibility requirements for the Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) Program, you should go ahead and apply for participation in the program. All you need is to complete an application form for the community you wish to live in, and deliver it either in person or via mail to your nearest program office.
Who can Qualify for Section 8?
Applicants to the Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Vouchers) program need to meet a set of eligibility requirements. These eligibility requirements are based on family income, choice of residence and the nationality of the applicants and are discussed below:
Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Vouchers) - Income Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible for the Alaska Section 8 program, applicants need to meet the program’s income eligibility requirements. Generally applicants to the Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher Program) should not have an income exceeds 80% of the area’s median income. More specific income limits based on family size and income are available on this link:
http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il/il13/index.html (Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Program) Income Guidelines)
Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) - Residential Eligibility Requirements
Applicants to the Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) Program should be residents of the state of Alaska and either US national or eligible aliens.
How to Apply
Applying for the Alaska section 8 (Housing Choice Program) is a fairly easy process. The first thing you need to do is to obtain and fill an application form from your nearest program office available on this link: http://www.ahfc.us/contact-us/housing-assistance-locations/ (Alaska Section 8 Offices). Your application will then be evaluated based on the programs eligibility requirements.
Upon successful completion of the application process, your family will be issued with a housing choice voucher. You should then proceed to choose a housing unit that meets both the program housing condition requirements and your own personal preferences. You can search for a suitable housing unit using the housing locator, available on this link: https://alaskahousinglocator.rentlinx.com/listings/AK/policies:acceptshcvs (Alaska section 8 housing locator)
Upon finding a suitable housing unit, the Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) program will fund the difference between the rent and 30% of your income. This helps to ensure that you are able to gain access to affordable housing as well as settle other important bills.
You can obtain further information on the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by using the contact information available on this link: https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/pha/contacts/ak (Alaska Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) Program Important Contact Information)