How to Apply for Connecticut Section 8

Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as "Section 8", is a federally funded program administered by the State of Connecticut. This program provides housing assistance to eligible low and moderate income families. This program enables families to obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing by subsidizing a portion of each tenant's monthly rent.  This subsidy is paid directly and promptly to the property owner on a monthly basis.   Any type of private rental housing is eligible. Single-family dwellings, high-rise buildings, townhouses, and congregate housing units are eligible. Paperwork is minimal and the owner retains normal management rights and responsibilities including tenant selection, rent collection, property maintenance, and lease termination.

Connecticut Housing Authority calculates the amount of assistance each family receives. The level of assistance is based on family size and income. A family is expected to pay approximately thirty (30) percent of its income towards rent. When a family finds a unit and signs a lease, Connecticut Housing Authority, signs a Housing Assistance Payments Contact with the owner. Each month the Connecticut Housing Authority makes housing assistance payments directly to the owner. You can find more about HUD policies on http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/rental_assistance/phprog

Who can Qualify for Section 8?

Eligibility is based on household income. To qualify for housing assistance, a family must meet low-income guidelines. However, families with a very low income are given priority. By law, the Public Housing Authority must give 75 percent of the funds designated for housing assistance to families whose income is at or below 30 percent of the median income in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Qualified income limits vary by household size. For example, a family of four can make up to $43,100 a year to qualify for housing assistance. A family of four that makes $25,850 a year qualifies as a very low-income applicant, according to HUD. The family's income must not exceed 50 percent of the median income for the county or metro area where they live. U.S. citizens and legal immigrants residing in Connecticut can apply for housing assistance. The Public Housing Authority considers the family's financial assets, monthly expenses and special needs when reviewing applications for housing assistance. Some forms of assistance, such as public housing, may require that the family complete an in-home interview with a caseworker. Approved applicants may need to meet additional requirements to continue to receive assistance, such as paying their portion of the rent on time each month. More details about income can be found on http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/il/il2010/2010summary.odn?inputname=STTLT*0999999999%2BConnecticut&selection_type=county&stname=Connecticut&statefp=09.0&year=2010

How to Apply

Connecticut Residents may apply for housing assistance in person at a local Department of Social Services office (DSS) or a Department of Housing and Urban Development field office To find a DSS agency office near you please visit http://www.ct.gov/dss/lib/dss/pdfs/housing/housingcontractorsubcontracts.pdf. Most of the time the waiting list for section 8 vouchers in Connecticut is full, and applicants may be required to wait. You can use this web site to locate open Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists throughout Connecticut http://www.cthcvp.org/ Occasionally, you may also find that the list is closed but the Department of Social Services re-opens the waiting list periodically to accept new applications, when most of the people waiting have been helped. When this is imminent, the department places notices and pre-application forms in local newspapers and media outlets as well as on its own website. You can also register to receive an email notification when the waiting list is opened.

When a family living in Connecticut selects a housing unit and the Housing Authority approves the unit and lease, the family signs a lease with the landlord for one year. The tenant may be required to pay a security deposit to the landlord. After the first year the landlord may initiate a new lease or allow the family to remain in the unit on a month-to-month lease. After the family is in the new apartment they are expected to comply with the lease and the program requirements, pay their share of the rent on time, pay their utilities, maintain the unit in good condition and notify the housing authority of any changes in income or family composition. The applicant family is generally required to pay between 30 percent and 40 percent of its monthly income on rent and utilities. This amount is calculated by the public housing agency as it processes an application. Then housing assistance will be provided according to the formula: gross rent (rent plus average utility costs) minus 30 percent of monthly adjusted income.

It is the role of the landlord in the Housing Choice Voucher Program is to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing to a tenant at a reasonable rent. The apartment unit must pass the program's housing quality standards (HQS) inspection and be maintained up to those standards as long as the owner receives housing assistance payments. In addition, the landlord is expected to provide the services agreed to as part of the lease signed with the tenant and the contract signed with the housing authority.

Please Note :

Section 8 is slightly different from HUD's public housing program. While HUD bills Section 8 as giving participants a "choice," since they can use their subsidy to rent private market dwellings, public housing consists of low-rent units at PHA-owned and -operated sites. You can, however, apply for both programs simultaneously; this might speed up the process of securing government-subsidized housing.