This email provides a brief explanation about the process for applying for, and using, a Section 8 voucher. For a more complete training, contact the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless at 617-423-9162, or Massachusetts Law Reform Institute at 617-357-0700.

BASIC INFORMATION: You do not need to live in a given town to apply to that town, but local residents may be placed higher on the waitlist and so get their vouchers sooner. On the other hand, once you have received a voucher, many states require you to live in the town that gives you a Section 8 voucher for at least one year. After that time, you can use the voucher to live anywhere in the United States In Massachusetts, there is no such residency requirement, so you can take the voucher anywhere in the country, immediately.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR A SECTION 8 VOUCHER? Generally, an applicant is eligible for a Section 8 voucher if his or her income is below a certain income limit. These income limits are established by HUD, and may be different depending on where you live. Someone with a higher income may be eligible for a Section 8 in Boston, but make too much money to be eligible in Springfield. Whatever the income guidelines are, the voucher providers in that area must use the same income guidelines for every applicant, regardless of disability or priority need. Always check the income guidelines before you apply!

HOW A WAITLIST OPENS AND CLOSES: Each Housing Authority which runs a Section 8 program decides when to open its waiting list, and for how long. Housing Authorities will advertise that the waitlist is opening by placing an ad in the local newspaper, while other Authorities may send letters to local agencies as well. There are different types of Authorities. For example, Massachusetts has REGIONAL Housing Authorities that keep their Section 8 waiting lists open for long periods of time (and by the way, that application is available through HousingWorks). Massachusetts also has LOCAL housing authorities that usually open their lists for short periods of time (and at the moment, very few of these section 8 apps are available through HousingWorks.) Some LOCAL housing authorities keep their Section 8 waitlist open year round, but because the waitlist is so long, the chances for non-residents to get a voucher from these places within 10 years is quite small.

WAYS TO APPLY: Some Housing Authorities require applicants to walk in to the office to pick up the applications, while others will allow applicants or their advocates to call or mail a request for an application. Generally, people with disabilities are allowed to request applications by mail. In some cases,the applications must be returned while the waitlist is open, but usually the applicant is given some extra time to fill out and return the application. Again, people with disabilities or their advocates are generally successful when they ask to be given sufficient time to prepare and submit the application.

IN WHAT REGIONS CAN A SECTION 8 VOUCHER BE USED? Outside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a Housing Authority may require the Section 8 voucher holder to live in the town that provided the voucher. Inside Massachusetts, it doesn't matter, a voucher holder can use it to look for housing anywhere in the state.

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CLIENT'S CHANCES OF GETTING A VOUCHER: To maximize their chances of getting a voucher, applicants or their advocates should submit applications to each open waiting list when it opens. Vouchers may be provided by a LOCAL Housing Authority in each town, and/or a REGIONAL housing authority, depending on where you live. Additionally, advocates can apply for a voucher from any other housing authority in the U.S., if their waitlist is open. (Again, if you apply outside Massachusetts, the client receiving the voucher may need to move to the town providing the voucher for at least a year.)

• Section 8 Tenants can use separate vouchers in one household, if approved by the Housing Authority and the landlord.



• Section 8 vouchers can be used to purchase a condo or single family home, if the housing Authority agrees to administer that program and the finances can be approved.



• Applicants can apply for a voucher from any other Housing Authority in the U.S. -- if they are willing to move there once they get the voucher.

• The number of applicants on the waitlist;
• The priorities used by the Housing Authority.

  HAs have discretion over who they choose to prioritize:local residents, veterans, the homeless, rent-burdened, substandard housing, refugees from domestic violence, of some combination of these; This are always listed in the Administrative Plan for each Authority, in the section called, "Tenant Selection Process".
  
  Standard applicants, who are income eligible but do not meet any of the priority standards), or those who live in project-based subsidized housing and wish to acquire a tenant-based subsidy such as a Section 8 Voucher) fare best at housing authorities which do not have priorities. There is very little incentive to apply at a housing authority that uses priorities if the applicant is unable to provide written verification of the priority.

• How often the authority is funded;
• What programs each applicant has eligibility.
• Keeping your client's applications updated, particularly changes in address.

  If you have entered your client's profile into our system, HousingWorks allows you to update most Housing Authorities automatically via email. Just enter the Client's SSN, and hit the "View/Change Case Status button, located on the main Advocate page. Then pick from the three options listed.

There is no clear-cut method to determine waiting periods, as housing providers regularly update their waiting lists, purge from their lists those applicants who do not respond, and occasionally expand new or existing programs throughout the year. For example, disabled applicants on a conventional Sec. 8 waiting list may hear sooner if the housing authority requires and is funded for Mainstream Sec. 8, a program specifically targeting people with disabilities.