Rental assistance – government programs

Do you know about the programs for rental assistance provided by the USA government? 

These programs aim to reduce homelessness, provide stable housing options, and alleviate the financial burden of rent.

They are an alternative to help people with low income or moderate income to afford their houses.

Rental Assistance Programs

Now, let’s see which one of the rental assistance programs are available to help people with their houses.

Housing choice voucher

The program HCV is also known as the Housing Choice Voucher program, commonly referred to as Section 8. This is a federal program designed to provide rental assistance to low-income individuals and families.

Under this program, eligible families receive a voucher that can be used to help cover their rent and other housing-related expenses for the rented home.

Not only for families with low income, but this program can also help seniors and people who struggle with disabilities.

The voucher can be used for houses, apartments or to townhouses, to help with the rent and others.

The basics requirement will be based on your total annual gross income and your family size, this will be the guide to know the amount of rental assistance you will receive.

But there’s also some specific requirements from different states and housing agencies, so you need to find and contact them to know more about the instructions.

And to apply for a housing choice voucher you will need to find a public housing agency and keep track of your application.

Subsidized rental housing

This program helps people with a rental affordable to families that need it, and the house to this is owned and operated by government agencies or a private landlord that has a contract with the government.

The rent of this program is reduced so people with low income can afford the rent of the houses.

The eligibility is different from city to country so you will need to discover which one applies to your situation and the place you leave.

And to apply you need to access the US government website and use the HUD map to see the opportunities near you.

Public Housing

The program to public housing has the goal to offer affordable rent to people with low income, people with disabilities or seniors.

There’s a lot of options to choose from, in all sizes, single family houses and even apartments.

The eligibility of the program is based on your annual gross income, if you are a US citizen or has an eligible immigration status, and if you are a senior or a person with disability.

Rental assistance for specific groups

Last but not least, there are two different programs for specific groups of people. They are the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and the Non-Elderly Disabled (NED).

The SSVF will provide rental assistance to keep your current home or find a new home to veterans and their families who have a very low income.

And to apply for the non elderly disabled, you will need to be under 62 and have disabilities, it’s also needed to be the head of the family or the spouse.