Frequently Asked Questions

Section 8 is a program that helps people with very low-income pay for housing. It can help you get an apartment or buy a home. With Section 8, you usually pay about 30% to 40% of your monthly household income for rent. The federal government pays the rest.

Note: If you have a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, you may end up paying more than 30% to 40% of your income for rent if the landlord raises the rent after you move in.

To qualify for Section 8, you must:

• Have very low income (less than 50% of the area median income)
  • Not all income is counted. Example: The earned income of children under 18 and of dependents over 18 who are full-time students is not counted.
• Not own a home your family could live in
• Have less than $103,200 in countable assets (not all assets are counted)
  • ABLE accounts, Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) accounts, retirement accounts, some types of trusts, and personal property with a combined value of less than $51,600 are not counted.
• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible immigrant. Eligible immigrants include permanent legal residents, refugees, asylees, and lawful temporary residents.

To get Section 8, you have to apply at your local public housing authorities (PHAs). Most PHAs have waiting lists, so it’s important to apply to more than one PHA. Some housing authorities post online information about subsidized housing.

Almost all vouchers go to people with very low income. The exact income limits are different depending on the number of people in your household and where you live.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has the income limits for your situation.

Yes, Section 8 has an asset limit. You must have less than $103,200 in countable assets.

ABLE accounts, Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) accounts, retirement accounts, some types of trusts, and personal property with a combined value of less than $51,600 are not counted.

Additionally, when the housing authority figures out your income, it counts some of your assets as income. The growth of the investments in an ABLE account is not counted as income. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

Note: Before January 1, 2024, there was not an asset limit, but assets were counted for the income calculation.

The public housing authority looks at your entire application to see if you qualify, so make sure to fill out the forms completely and carefully. You may be more likely to qualify for Section 8 if you:

• Have a disability
• Have children
• Are age 62 or older
• Are a U.S. Armed Services veteran, widow, or widower
• Are experiencing homelessness
• Are in a shelter

The housing choice voucher program (also called “tenant-based Section 8”) lets you choose any apartment you want, as long as it meets the size and price requirements given to you by your public housing authority.

In Section 8 project-based housing, the local housing authority works directly with the owner of a specific housing unit to make it available to people in the Section 8 program. When one of these privately-owned apartments is empty, the housing authority offers it to someone on the waiting list for Section 8 housing.

Project-based rental assistance provides the same amount of financial assistance as the voucher program, and the application and eligibility requirements are also the same. A big difference between project-based rental assistance and the Section 8 voucher program is that it is not always possible to keep your project-based rental assistance when you move.

Yes, most public housing authorities (PHAs) have waiting lists to get Section 8 benefits, so it’s important to apply to more than one PHA. Unfortunately, some waiting lists are “closed.” That means that the PHA won’t even let you apply. However, you can apply to any housing authority that has an “open” list. By applying to more than PHA, you are more likely to start getting Section 8 benefits sooner — so be sure apply to all of the housing authorities located in areas where you’d be willing to live, and that have “open” waiting lists. (Most housing authorities give preference to people who already live in their areas, so if you apply to a program that isn’t in the area where you live, you may have to wait longer to get a voucher.)

Find your local public housing authorities (PHAs) or use the HUD Resource Locator. Some housing authorities provide online information about subsidized housing.

When you are selected from the waiting list for a Section 8 housing choice voucher:

1. You go through a screening process to make sure you meet the eligibility requirements for the program.
2. If you pass the screening, you must attend a meeting at the housing authority, called a “Section 8 Briefing.”
3. After the briefing, you have 60 to 120 days (two to four months), to find a rental unit that is affordable and where the landlord accepts the voucher.

When you are selected from the waiting list for Section 8 project-based housing or public housing, you are offered affordable housing in a specific unit. You won’t get to choose the unit you rent.

Yes. If your disability makes any part of the application process difficult for you, you can ask for a reasonable accommodation to help you have a chance to participate in the program. Reasonable accommodations could include things like help filling out the application, being given extra time to find rental housing, or assistance finding housing that meets your needs.

If a waiting list is “closed,” you can’t apply. You need to find other housing agencies in the area that have “open” waiting lists. Find local public housing authorities. Some housing authorities provide online information about subsidized housing.

Tell the housing authority immediately. If the housing authority tries to contact you but can’t find you, they might decide that you don’t want Section 8 and take you off their waiting list. Most housing authorities do not request the post office to forward mail, so it’s very important that you give the housing authority correct contact information.

The housing authority itself is the best source of help with the application. If you decide to get help from someone else, remember that no one should ever charge you for a Section 8 application; it’s illegal to sell a Section 8 application or voucher.

You can talk to the housing authority about their decision. However, the housing authority is not required to offer an informal hearing for applicants on every administrative decision. You can also appeal their decision. When you are told that you have been turned down, the housing authority is required to tell you how you can appeal. If you wish to appeal, you should do it quickly, because there is a time limit for appealing.

Ask the housing authority for a list of available property owners in its area, plus the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) lists other rental resources to search for apartments in your price range.

Yes. Section 8 can give you homebuyer education and mortgage readiness counseling, and may even help you with your down payment, closing costs, and/or mortgage payments. However, not all housing authorities offer this program.

To qualify for this program, called the Section 8 Homeownership Program, you must:

• Be a current Section 8 voucher program participant or eligible for it
• Not currently own a home or have owned one in the last three years
• Not received homeownership help in the past or defaulted on a mortgage
• Attend and complete a homeownership counseling program
• Have full-time employment, if you are not disabled or elderly

The Key to Own Homeownership Program helps families with a rental housing choice voucher change it into a homeownership voucher, or you can apply directly to local public housing authorities that allow homeownership.

Public housing is rental housing for low-income people that is owned and managed by a local government agency. Eligibility requirements are usually the same as for the Section 8 voucher program.

To qualify for public housing, you must:

• Have low income
  • Not all income is counted. Example: The earned income of children under 18 and of dependents over 18 who are full-time students is not counted.
• Not own a home your family could live in
• Have less than $103,200 in countable assets (not all assets are counted)
  • ABLE accounts, Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) accounts, retirement accounts, some types of trusts, and personal property with a combined value of less than $51,600 are not counted.
• Be a U.S. citizen or be an eligible immigrant. Eligible immigrants include permanent legal residents, refugees, asylees, and lawful temporary residents.

To apply for public housing, contact your local public housing authorities (PHAs) or use the HUD Resource Locator. Some housing authorities provide information about subsidized housing online.

Waiting lists for public housing may be long, so to improve your chances of getting housing soon, apply to several housing authorities in the area where you want to live.

Several groups offer special support for people who are experiencing homelessness and have special housing needs. To get help, contact:

• Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness
• Michigan’s Campaign to End Homelessness

Or use the HUD Resource Locator and click on “Find Homeless Resources Near Me."

If you or a member of your household is living with HIV/AIDS and your household has low income, you may be able to get help with housing costs through the HOPWA program. HOPWA can help with short-term rent and utility payment assistance.

For details, contact your local public housing authorities (PHAs).

Your Section 8 or public housing benefits are related to your family income: the more you make, the more rent you pay. Earned income is treated the same as unearned income, so if your earnings go up by $500 per month, your rent would go up by about 30% of that ($150 per month). However, the exact timing of when your rent changes depends on various things (it might not go up for months).

If you are making more money by working and your share of rent goes up, check with your public housing authority (PHA) about the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. If the FSS program is an option for you, it will take the increased money that you are spending on rent and set it aside for your family. Later, you can spend this money on something, like for the down payment on a home or car.

The bottom line: You’re better off if you earn more because your rent won’t go up as much as your earnings. Learn more about how work affects housing benefits and about the FSS program.

Note: Before 2024, a rule called the Earned Income Disregard (EID) meant that rent wouldn't go up as much for the first two years after a family member with a disability started working. This still helps people whose EID started before 2024, but no new people can get an EID.

The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program helps families who get help with their rent from HUD-funded programs and whose whose income goes up because of work.

When the family income goes up and the program starts paying less for rent, the FSS program takes the money that it saves on rent and sets that money aside for the family. The family can use these savings for purchases, such as the down payment on a home or a car.

The FSS program can help people who get help from programs like:

• Public housing
• The Section 8 housing choice voucher program
• Section 8 project-based rental assistance
• Some other project-based housing programs, and
• Some special purpose vouchers, including Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Family Unification Program (FUP), Foster Youth to Independence (FYI), and Mainstream.

You apply for the FSS through your public housing authority (PHA) or your housing provider. Learn more about the FSS program.

If you are having trouble paying your mortgage, there are several programs that can help:

• The Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Project is a partnership of Legal Aid offices and housing counselors statewide, as well as the National Consumer Law Center.
• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers resources that can help:
  • Search for a housing counseling agency near you or call HUD's Counseling & Agency Locator Line at 1-800-569-4287.
  • Search for a foreclouse avoidance counselor.