How to Apply for Missouri Section 8

Missouri Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program offers rental assistance to income-eligible families and individuals in the state of Missouri. The program makes payment directly to the landlord after signing a contract with landlord for partial rent payment. The Section 8 recipient will make rest of the payment to the landlord under his/her contract of lease with the landlord.

Missouri Section 8 rental assistance is funded by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and it’s administered by local Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). Your local PHA will determine your eligibility for the program under the instructions from HUD. PHA will also pay the landlord on behalf of the tenant.

A successful applicant will have 60 days to search for a reasonable housing anywhere in the state. Voucher holders failing to find a reasonable residence within this time will lose their right to Section 8 voucher. It will be transferred to the next applicant on the waiting list. You can use this link (http://www.hud.gov/apps/section8/step2.cfm?state=MO,Missouri) to search for Section 8 housing units to speed up the process.

Missouri Section 8 requires the successful applicants to find a residence that (a) has a reasonable rent compared to the other similar residential units in the same area, and (b) meets the housing quality standards set by HUD. These standards require the housing unit to be fit for the family in addition to being safe, sanitary, and decent. A PHA representative will inspect the place to determine whether or not it meets the HUD’s quality standards. Moreover, Section 8 voucher can’t be used to occupy the housing unit that a voucher holder or anyone in the household owns or has interest in it.

A family holding housing voucher should pay at least 30% of its rental and utility costs in addition to the rental assistance it will be receiving through Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher. The vouchers are given to the extremely low-income families so that they can afford decent housing in the state of Missouri. However, households failing to make any contributions to the rent and utilities will not be able to use Section 8 vouchers.

After a family has selected a housing unit and PHA has approved it for Section 8 voucher, it will need to sign a contract of lease with the landlord who will also sign a contract with the PHA to receive a portion of rent directly from the PHA. Tenant and landlord will have obligations under their lease contract, which means that anyone failing to perform their duty will violate the contract. Tenant will need to comply with the Section 8 rules in addition to following rules described in the lease contract. Landlord can ask the tenant to evacuate the housing unit at any time due to violation of the contract after serving a notice in advance. The tenant will need to pay rent and utilities on time while living peacefully.

Each local PHA maintains a waiting list for Missouri Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The waiting lists are usually long due to higher demand for rental assistance compared to the funds available for such assistance. PHAs will close the waiting list once the number of applicants has increased from the number that can be served with the grant. It usually takes up to three years for applicants to receive rental assistance after being placed on the waiting list for Missouri Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program.

Who can Qualify for Section 8?

To qualify for Missouri Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, applicants will need to meet income and certain other eligibility criteria.

• Section 8 rental assistance is only available to U.S citizens. If you’re a qualified alien with all the legal documents, you can also apply for Section 8 assistance in Missouri.

• Missouri Section 8 is only for residents of the state of Missouri. You will need to bring proof of your residence when applying to prove your residential eligibility.

• Missouri Section 8 serves low-income families and individuals, thus requiring them to meet an income limitations. Applicants will need to have income below 50% of the area median income for metropolitan areas. However, PHAs will prefer applicants with income below 30% of the area median income. Those not meeting these income guidelines will not be able to apply for the program.

• Those applying for Section 8 will need to meet the definition of family as provided by HUD. A family can comprise of one or more persons.

• In order to receive housing voucher in Missouri, applicants will need to have a clear record with Section 8 programs or other housing programs. Anyone with a bad record as to non-payment or other will not be able to apply for Section 8.

• Applicants will also need to have clear drug-related criminal record to receive assistance through Missouri Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program.

How to Apply

To apply for Missouri Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, you will need to contact your local Public Housing Agency (PHA). You will receive complete guidance from a PHA representative who will help you with the application process.

You can find contact information for PHAs in Missouri using this link (http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts/states/mo.cfm).

You can also use Missouri PHA websites to contact your local PHA and find more information. Please use this link to access a list of all the Missouri-based PHAs’ websites (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/missouri/renting/hawebsites).

For general information on Missouri Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, you can call at (800) 955 2232.