Rental Assistance Program

Section 8 Rental Assistance

The Section 8 Existing program provides rental assistance to help eligible families live in safe and decent housing of their choice. With funding provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered by local public housing authorities, as well as VSHA, this program utilizes privately owned existing housing stock.

Families, elderly, disabled and single people whose income falls within the income guidelines qualify for this program. After a person applies and is determined eligible, they are placed on a waiting list until funds become available to assist them. When funding becomes available, a certificate or voucher is issued.

A voucher is the written guarantee of VSHA to the tenant or prospective landlord that the voucher holder is eligible for participation in the program. The voucher is used by the holder in locating a house or apartment of his/her choosing. The voucher sets forth the bedroom size the family needs and outlines the family's obligations under the program and the period of time the family has to locate suitable housing.

VSHA also administers a Project-Based Voucher and Moderate Rehabilitation program. Both of these programs are project specific housing rather than open market. Tenants are selected from the existing waiting list, owners and/or managers determine suitability and VSHA determines eligibility for participation in the program. The subsidy is attached to the UNIT and NOT to the family. Therefore, if a family vacates a Project-Based Voucher or Moderate Rehabilitation unit and still wishes to have a subsidy, they must reapply under a different program.

The Shelter Plus Care program provides rental assistance to homeless people with disabilities. Supportive services, at least equal in value to the rental assistance, must be funded from other sources.

The Family Unification program promotes family unification by providing rental assistance to families for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the separation, or threat of imminent separation, of children from their families. Program eligible households are referred to VSHA by the Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services.

The Mainstream Housing program funds rental assistance for non-elderly disabled families. Its primary purpose is to enable disabled families to rent affordable private housing.

Tenants in the Section 8 Existing Housing Choice Voucher program are free to select their own housing unit anywhere in the state where VSHA has the authority to operate, provided the unit meets housing quality standards and certain rent limitations. Housing quality standards help to insure that housing rented under this program is decent, safe and sanitary. There are two kinds of housing quality standards under Section 8 Existing:

1. Things that a home MUST HAVE in order to be approved by the VSHA.

2. Additional features that a family should take into consideration when renting to cover special needs of the family.

Application For Rental Assistance:

Our Application for Rental Assistance is available for download. You will need the appropriate documents. Print them out, fill in application and mail it in to us. These documents are in Adobe Acrobat format which means you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't already have it follow the link to Adobe and get the latest version.

Application for Rental Assistance - Cover Page
Preliminary Application for Rental Assistance
Application for Rental Assistance - Application

 

New Construction/Substantial Rehabilitation

This program was designed to create new and rehabilitated housing for low income families and the elderly in communities without sufficient housing that is rated safe, sanitary and adequate. Since the early 1980's, no new housing has been constructed or rehabilitated under this program.

VSHA is the contract administrator for the project. Staff conduct regular inspections to monitor the management activities of the owner, insure the buildings are well maintained, and determine the needs and/or satisfaction of tenants. The owner selects the tenants. VSHA reviews all applications to insure each applicant's eligibility, and to insure that tenants are being charged the proper amount of rent.

For More Information:

The following documents provide detailed information on policies and procedures of the Section 8 programs: