How to Apply for Section 8

Applications

At this time, no applications are being accepted for Section 8 assistance. Click here for information on applying for public housing assistance.

 

MHA will advertise through the local media and this website when application intake periods are scheduled. This varies based on funding/voucher availability.

 

Process

Applications will be made available at various convenient locations. Applicants may complete one application per household, and it must be mailed in, postmarked by a specific date. This is a preliminary application, which will be assigned a number.  Those not selected are held for up to one year and randomly drawn as space allows on waiting list. After one year, these applications expire and those applicants will need to reapply during the next scheduled intake period.

 

Application Selection

After the deadline to receive postmarked applications, a specified number of applications will be randomly selected by an off-site computer program. Those selected will be reviewed for eligibility. Those determined eligible will be placed on a waiting list, unless assistance can be obtained immediately.

 

Issuing a Voucher

Once your name is reached on the waiting list, MHA will contact you and issue to you a rental voucher with instructions on finding a rental property for your family.

 

Finding a Place to Live

Voucher holders may search the private rental market for a housing unit that is decent, safe and sanitary according to federal Housing Quality Standards (HQS established by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and MHA). A copy of the HUD booklet, "A Good Place to Live!" is a good resource and can be requested at MHA. When a unit is found and the owner agrees to lease it under the Housing Choice Voucher Program, MHA will inspect the property. After the unit passes HQS inspections and rent has been approved, the landlord and tenant enter a lease for an initial term of one year. The landlord and MHA enter into an agreement called a Housing Assistance Payments Contract, through which the rent is assisted on the tenant's behalf. The tenant is responsible for the monthly payment of the difference between the total rent and the Housing Assistance Payment.