HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM

The new Housing Choice Voucher program is administered using the following guidelines:

• Not less than 75% of new admissions must be extremely low-income families with incomes at or below 30% of median income.
  
  
• At initial lease up only, a family first receiving tenant based assistance or a family moving with current assistance to a new unit, cannot pay more than 40% of adjusted income towards the total rent and utilities.
  
  
• Participants select their own apartment with a private landlord
  
  
• Each apartment must meet housing quality standards.
  
  
• The Housing Authority pays the landlord a housing assistance payment each month that is a calculation of the difference between the resident's share and the actual rent.
  
  
• The Housing Authority waiting list is currently closed.
  
  Additional Programs...

The Section 8 Voucher program allows families who participate to move into units where rents are higher than the Fair Market Rents (FMR), but the family must absorb the additional cost. Participants may pay as much as 40% of their income as opposed to 30% in securing acceptable accommodations.

The Section 8 programs currently assist 575 elderly and families in West Hartford. Through this program, the Housing Authority disburses over $2,600,000 annually to private landlords on behalf of Section 8 participants.