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Find a housing agency near you
Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) and public housing are run by local public housing agencies, not by this website. Choose a state to see the agencies HUD lists, what programs each one administers, and how to contact them.
Browse agencies by state
Agencies are grouped by where their office address is. HUD does not publish the area each agency serves, so an office location is not the same as a service area — contact the agency to confirm whether it serves your address, and ask whether its waiting list is open.
What Section 8 is
Also known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, this federal program helps pay rent for people on low incomes, older people, and people with disabilities. Vouchers are issued and administered by local public housing agencies, known as PHAs. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds the program.
A family with a voucher chooses their own home from housing where the owner agrees to rent under the program. Their current home can qualify if the landlord agrees to meet the health and safety standards the PHA sets.
The PHA pays part of the rent directly to the landlord, and the family pays the difference. In some circumstances a voucher can be used to buy a modest home.
Who is eligible
Eligibility is decided by the local PHA, not by this website. Total annual gross income and family size are normally the deciding factors, and the program is limited to US citizens and people with eligible immigration status.
Earning less than 50 percent of the median income for the area normally makes an applicant eligible. PHAs must give at least 75 percent of their vouchers to applicants below 30 percent of the area median income. HUD publishes those income levels.
The PHA verifies income, assets and family composition with employers, banks and other public records, and uses that to work out how much assistance is reasonable.
Applicants who are found eligible are usually placed on a waiting list and contacted when a voucher becomes available. How long that takes varies widely by area and demand. Only the agency can tell you whether its waiting list is open — this site does not track waiting-list status.
How the voucher works
Vouchers are sized to each family's needs. The home a family chooses has to pass a PHA inspection for health and safety, and the rent has to be reasonable for the area.
The family is generally expected to put about 30 percent of its monthly gross income toward rent and utilities, and may not pay more than 40 percent when moving to a more expensive unit.
Moving with a voucher
Vouchers can be used anywhere in the United States. A family normally has to stay within the jurisdiction of the PHA that issued the voucher for the first twelve months. After that, moving to another PHA's area means that PHA's rules apply. Tell your current PHA before you move.
Who is responsible for what
The tenant pays the security deposit and their share of the rent on time, keeps the home in good condition, and tells the PHA about changes in family size or income.
The landlord maintains the property to the PHA's safety and health standards, charges a reasonable rent, and meets the terms of the agreement.
The public housing agency enforces those standards, can stop assistance payments if obligations are not met, and reviews each family's income periodically.
HUD funds the program, distributes money to PHAs, and monitors how they administer it.