Get a voucher. Keep your housing. Know your rights.
Section 8 (the Housing Choice Voucher program) can be confusing and slow-moving. Here's what to expect at every stage — from figuring out if you qualify to making sure the place you find actually fits your budget.
Start here
Am I eligible?
Income limits, household composition, and the categories PHAs use to decide who qualifies.
How to apply
What to gather before you start, how the application works, and common reasons applications stall.
Waiting lists
Why lists open and close, how preferences work, and how to keep your place once you're on one.
Find housing that takes vouchers
How to search for participating landlords and what to do once your voucher is in hand.
Costs & fees
What the voucher covers, what you're still on the hook for, and how to budget for the rest.
Your rights & the rules
Inspections, recertification, and protections — including special rules for elderly, disabled, and multigenerational households.
Free tools
Rent affordability calculator
Estimate your rent share and see whether the rest of your budget — groceries, transportation, insurance — will fit.
Voucher payment estimator
See the local payment standard for your area and bedroom size, charted across unit sizes.
Housing authority finder
Look up the PHA that serves your ZIP code, with contact info and local figures.