|
Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
DESCRIPTION:
Federal program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the
disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.
Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual,
participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes,
townhouses and apartments. The participant is free to choose any housing that
meets the requirements of the program and is not limited to units located in
subsidized housing projects.
Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by the Boston Housing Authority
(BHA). The BHA receives federal funds from the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher
program.
A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable
housing unit of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the
program. This unit may include the family's present residence. Rental units
must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by the BHA.
A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the BHA on behalf of
the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual
rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.
ELIGIBILITY:
Eligibility for a housing voucher is determined by the BHA based on the total
annual gross income and family size and is limited to US citizens and specified
categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status. In general,
the family's income may not exceed 50% of the median income for the county or
metropolitan area in which the family chooses to live. By law, a BHA must provide
75 percent of its voucher to applicants whose incomes do not exceed 30 percent
of the area median income (federal extremely low category). Median income levels
are published by HUD and vary by location (See
BHA income limits).
The Boston Housing Authority rental assistance waiting list is limited to applicants
who are in certain emergency situations (See
Priority One categories). These include: disaster, condemned housing, court-ordered/no-fault
eviction, domestic violence, homelessness, displacement to avoid avoid reprisal,
victim of hate crime, inaccessibility of dwelling unit, and loss of rent control.
If the BHA determines that your family is eligible for Priority One status,
the BHA will put your name on the rental assistance waiting list. Once your
name is reached on the waiting list, the BHA will contact you and schedule an
eligibility interview.
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply for Rental Assistance (Section 8)
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
10,740
Family Unification Program (FUP)
DESCRIPTION:
The Family Unification Program provides Section 8 rental assistance to families
whose lack of adequate housing is a primary cause of the separation, or imminent
separation, of a child or children from their families.
ELIGIBILITY:
Eligible families must be referred by the Massachusetts Department of Social
Services (DSS).
HOW TO APPLY:
Contact Massachusetts Department
of Social Services (DSS)
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
300
Grandfamilies Program
DESCRIPTION:
Provides rental assistance to elderly or near elderly persons who have legal
custody of minor children.
ELIGIBILITY:
Eligible families may be drawn from the BHA rental assistance waiting list or
referred by Boston Aging Concerns Young & Old United.
HOW TO APPLY:
See Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
OR
Contact Boston
Aging Concerns Young & Old United
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
50
Designated Housing Program
DESCRIPTION:
Provides rental assistance vouchers to non-elderly disabled individuals. The
purpose of this program is to provide alternative housing opportunities for
those disabled persons who may not receive assistance at developments which
have established preferences for the admission of elderly families.
ELIGIBILITY:
Single applicants with a disability, under the age of 62, who are on the BHA
elderly/disabled public housing waiting list or public housing residents.
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply for Elderly/Disabled Public Housing
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
200
Mainstream Housing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
DESCRIPTION:
Provides rental assistance vouchers to enable persons with disabilities to access
affordable private housing of their choice. This program assists persons with
disabilities who often face difficulties in locating suitable and accessible
housing on the private market.
ELIGIBILITY:
Single applicants with a disability, under the age of 62, who are on the BHA
rental assistance waiting list.
HOW TO APPLY:
See Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
200
Welfare-to-Work Program (WtW)
DESCRIPTION:
Innovative strategy to coordinate federal housing assistance with welfare reform.
This program is coordinated with local welfare and workforce development agencies.
ELIGIBILITY:
Applicants currently on the rental assistance waiting list who are presently
eligible to receive Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or would have been eligible to receive
TANF in the preceding 24 months. Persons may express interest in applying for
this program during the initial intake interview or by responding to a questionnaire
sent to all eligible persons on the waiting list.
HOW TO APPLY:
See Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
300
Project Based Voucher Program
DESCRIPTION:
These subsidies are located in specific developments across the city.
ELIGIBILITY:
Applicants currently on the rental assistance waiting list. Certain developments
have additional restrictions on their units (e.g. elderly or disabled families
in need of support services).
HOW TO APPLY:
See Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
OR
Contact
Development Managers
|
