HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM
(Section 8)
Information for Potential Applicants
About the Program
Eligibility
Applying for a Section 8 Voucher
Waiting List Information
Waiting List Status: Placement Date Being Served
Waiting List Pre-Application Form
Reaching the Top of the Waiting List
Initial Application Process
Receiving The Voucher
Voucher Briefing
Briefing Packet
Using the Voucher
Special Needs
Program Fraud
Questions?
About
the Program
The
Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, also known as “Section 8”, provides
rental assistance to low income families. Please note: the HCV program uses
the term “family” to refer to a single person or a group of persons,
including those with a child or children that live together as a stable
family unit.
There are two main Section 8 Voucher programs: one for Santa Cruz County and one for the San Benito County city of Hollister which also includes San Juan Bautista. Families may apply for both programs; however, if the family is not living in the jurisdiction of the program at the time the family goes on the Waiting List, when the voucher is issued the family must find a rental in the jurisdiction of the program from which the voucher was issued.
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz has no special preferences for allocating Section 8 vouchers; applications are taken according to the date a name is placed on the Waiting List. Because there is more demand for assistance than there are vouchers available, there can be a long wait for assistance, typically years.
Once a family receives a voucher, the family finds its own rentals from homes and apartments on the private market. The family pays about a third of its income in rent to the landlord, and the Housing Authority pays the rest, up to a certain limit, directly to the landlord.
The family and landlord sign a rental agreement or lease provided by the landlord. The family pays the security deposit required by the landlord.
The Section 8 program serves families with total household incomes up to 80% Area Medium Income (current Income Limits). For eligibility purposes, all persons in the household are considered part of the family regardless of relationship.
Specific eligibility requirements are established by the U.S. Congress and implemented by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Eligibility rules can change at any time, therefore a family’s eligibility is not established until close to the time a Section 8 voucher will be issued.
Once on the Section 8 program, program participants can have income above the income limits until a level of income is reached at which the Housing Authority is no longer paying subsidy on behalf of the family.
Who cannot receive rental assistance?
Federal housing programs do not assist undocumented aliens. Families with both undocumented members and members who are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants can receive pro-rated rental assistance which is reduced proportionately by the number of undocumented members.
Registered sex offenders are also barred from receiving rental assistance. Other criminal background can also limit assistance.
Applying for a Section 8 Voucher
Families must put their names on the Waiting List by completing a pre-application (see below). As vouchers are given up by families leaving the program, the families on the waiting list are contacted to submit a full application. The Housing Authority will process applications in the order received.
Even if a family has a landlord who wants to participate in the voucher program, the family must wait its turn for a voucher by going on the waiting list like all other pre-applicants.
Please note that the Waiting List is a list of families that have completed a “pre-application” indicating that they are interested in participating in the program. Waiting List applicants have not yet completed an “Initial Application” (a longer application and process than a pre-application). Pre-applicants have not been screened for income or other program eligibility.
If a family is already on the waiting list, please understand that the wait for assistance may be long. The Housing Authority cannot predict when names will reach the top of the Waiting List.
The speed at which the Waiting List moves depends on how many families went on the Waiting List in a particular month and how many families leave the program thus freeing up a voucher which can then be given to the next family on the Waiting List. It is impossible to predict when a voucher will be available; however, from time to time the placement month being served is updated (see below Waiting List Status).
If the family breaks up, the person designated as Head of Household on the pre-application will keep the place on the Waiting List. Anyone not living with the Head of Household would need to apply on his or her own by submitting a new pre-application.
Waiting List Status: Placement Date Being Served
Note to developers: this section may be printed for use in funding applications requiring a statement from the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz regarding the number of families on the Waiting Lists.
From time to time, Waiting Lists may be closed with no new pre-applications being accepted. Below is the status of the Section 8 Waiting Lists.
Santa Cruz
County
Waiting List
The Waiting list is:
Closed
There are
16,123
families
on the Waiting List
Full applications are being taken for families who went on the list before:
February
2008
(Updated on: July 27, 2011)
Hollister Waiting List
The
Waiting List is: Closed
There are currently
4,555
families on the Waiting List
Full applications are being taken for families who went on the list before:
July
2007
(Updated on: December 5, 2011)
Waiting List Pre-Application form
To be added to the Santa Cruz County Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Waiting List, complete a Santa Cruz County Pre-Application form and submit it to the Housing Authority.
To be added to the Hollister and San Juan Bautista Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Waiting List, complete a Pre-Application form and return it to the Housing Authority. Click here to download a Hollister Pre-Application form.
Pre-Application forms for both Santa Cruz County and Hollister may also be obtained from our Santa Cruz office lobby during regular office hours (see Contact Information), or by calling (831) 454-5950 (from Hollister call 637-0487) or by writing to the Housing Authority at 2931 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Waiting List Status Form
All Waiting List applicants must notify the Housing Authority within 30 days of any change of address (see below); however, there is no need to inform the Housing Authority about changes in family composition while on the Waiting List. Please use the Waiting List Status form to notify the Housing Authority of any changes to your address while you are on the Waiting List.
IMPORTANT: If a family does not respond when the Housing Authority attempts to make contact at the last known address, the family’s name will be removed from the Waiting List. If the family moves while on the Waiting List, a Waiting List Status form must be submitted within 30 days of the move.
Waiting List Placement Date and Confirmation
Once a Pre-application is received and entered in the Waiting List, the family will receive a Waiting List Placement Date letter notifying the family of its placement date and confirming that the family has been successfully added to the waiting list. Depending on the volume of applications, it can take up to two months for this confirmation to be sent. Your placement date is the date the date the Pre-application was received by the Housing Authority and does not change.
Note: If you are not sure if you are on the list or have forgotten your date of placement, please complete a Waiting List Status form. You will be sent a computer-generated copy of the original letter providing the date your Pre-Application was received and your name put on the waiting list. The placement date is always the same and does not change. The confirmation letter will not tell you how long you have to wait. Waiting List placement dates will be confirmed only in writing and will not be given out by phone or e-mail.
Reaching the Top of the Waiting List
When the family’s name reaches the top of the Waiting List, a letter is sent asking if the family wants an Initial Application packet. The family must respond to this letter by the due date or its name will be removed from the Waiting List.
Initial Applications are processed when the family submits all requested information and documents. The family can ensure its application is processed sooner by keeping all documents updated and in a safe place ready to be submitted when notified.
The Initial Application is lengthy and asks for a lot of information. Applicants are encouraged to be as specific and detailed as possible. Program eligibility will be based on the information given by the applicant who will be asked to certify to its truthfulness (see Program Violations and Fraud). The sooner the family provides the Housing Authority with all requested information the sooner the application will be processed.
The Housing Authority will independently verify all information submitted and may be informed of information an applicant has not submitted. If later it is found that the family did not fully inform or comply with the application, the voucher could be terminated and the family could be required to pay the Housing Authority back for any assistance received that it was not entitled to. It is better to over-declare than under-declare information. Housing Authority staff will advise if information does not apply.
The initial application is used to:
• Gather information about
the family and its income
• Determine whether or not the family is eligible for assistance
• Calculate approximately how much rent the family will pay
• Determine how many bedrooms the family is eligible for
Even after the Initial Application is processed, there can still be long wait before a voucher is available. In most cases, it takes an average of six months from the time you submit an Initial Application to the time you are issued a voucher. However, wait times may vary greatly depending on the rate at which current voucher holders leave the program. Please see the Initial Application Flowchart for a visual overview of the steps in the Initial Application Process with information about average length of time for each step in the process.Please note: federal regulations require that eligibility verifications be no older than 60 days at the time the Voucher is issued. If there are delays in obtaining verifications or in issuing the voucher, information may have to be resubmitted.
Important Reminder about the Initial Application
Note: Make sure the Housing Authority always has a current address for you. If you move, please submit a Waiting List Status form to the Housing Authority immediately. If we you cannot be reached you by mail, your application will be cancelled.
Respond to all Housing Authority deadlines promptly.
The Housing Authority will ask for original Social Security cards, birth certificates, and photo IDs. Be sure to have these on hand to speed the Initial Application process
Once reaching the top of the Waiting List and being declared eligible, there may still be a long wait. The family is responsible keeping the Housing Authority informed of any changes to its income or household composition even after income eligibility has already been established. Additionally, the family is responsible for any security deposit required by a future landlord and should be setting aside funds to pay the security deposit which usually is equal to at least one month’s total rent.
The family should not take steps to rent a unit anticipating receipt of the voucher; this could result in the family being responsible for the entire rent.
When a voucher becomes available, the family will be invited to a “briefing,” where the program rules are explained, and the voucher is issued. The family must agree to the rules and regulations regarding the voucher and receive more information about how the program works including specifics regarding the family’s subsidy amount and the maximum rent that can be paid. There are certain limitations regarding rentals that are covered at the briefing.
A “Voucher Briefing” is required by the federal government before a family can receive its voucher. A briefing lasts about one and a half hours and children are not permitted. Briefings are held in groups of 20 to 40 people.
Families arriving late to the briefing will not be allowed to attend the briefing. The briefing is a pre-set presentation including information the Housing Authority is required by federal regulations to cover or a voucher cannot be issued. If the family is late through no fault of its own, the family will be notified of a future briefing date. If the family misses two briefings, the voucher will be canceled and the family’s name removed from the list.
After Housing Authority staff explains the program requirements and how the program works, time will be spent with families individually to discuss their particular Voucher size and rent subsidy.
At the briefing, a briefing packet containing required information and forms will be given to each family.
There is a limited amount of time to use a Voucher before it expires, commonly 60 days.
The federal government requires the Housing Authority to ensure that all vouchers are used quickly to assist the maximum number of families. If a family does not move expeditiously to use its voucher, there are thousands of other families on the Waiting List who will. The Housing Authority cannot allow vouchers to go unused; it is important that the family give full attention and effort to looking for a rental that will accept the voucher so that it does not expire.
Leasing in Place
The quickest way to ensure that a voucher is not lost is to “lease in place,” that is, renting from the current landlord if that landlord will accept the Section 8 voucher. Once on the program by using the voucher at its current rental, the family can then take its time to look for another rental without having the voucher expire.
Finding a Rental
If the family cannot rent its current unit or must find somewhere to live, there are many ways to find a rental unit. These are covered in the voucher briefing.
Once a suitable rental and a willing landlord is found, the family gives the landlord a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) to complete. The RTA is given to the voucher holder at the briefing. Only one RTA is issued at a time. If the rental submitted on the current RTA is not approved, another RTA will be issued. The RTA asks the landlord for information the Housing Authority will need in order to review the rental to see if it meets the program requirements.
The Housing Authority staff will talk with the landlord and, once all is agreed to, an inspection will be scheduled. The rental must meet federal Housing Quality Standards (HQS). For more information, please see HQS Checklist.
The family cannot have a personal financial interest in the property or be a beneficiary; neither can the landlord cannot be a relative of the family except under certain limited conditions for persons with disabilities. The landlord cannot live in the rental unit with the family.
If a rental is not found within the time stated on the voucher, the family must request an extension in writing. It should not be assumed that an extension will be granted.
If you are a person with disabilities and you have special needs related to a Housing Authority program, please see the Special Needs Q&A and the Special Needs section of the Forms page.
The federal government and the Housing Authority take action against those committing program frauds, whether they are Section 8 participants or landlords. The Housing Authority has established a Program Integrity unit specifically to investigate and take action against those who commit program violations. Please go to this web site’s section on Program Fraud for more information or report fraud.
For answers to more of your questions about searching for a place to rent,
please see our
Questions & Answers page.
2931 Mission St. • Santa
Cruz, CA 95060-5709 • (831)454-9455 • TDD: (831)469-0122
Fax: (831)469-3712 • Hollister: (831)637-0487 • E-mail:
info@hacosantacruz.org
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
©2007 Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz. All rights reserved.