Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher

At the present time, the Lakewood Housing Authority (LHA) has 838 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV). The breakdown of the program is as follows; 68 Mainstream vouchers for disabled families, 120 Family Unification Program vouchers, who are referred to us from the State of New Jersey Department of Children and Families Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP), 10 vouchers for the Family Unification Program for Youths Aging Out of Foster Care (FUPY), also refereed to us from DCPP, and the remaining 640 are standard Section 8 vouchers. The HCV Program is a federally funded government program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single family homes, townhouses and apartments.

The LHA administers the vouchers on behalf of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Eligibility for a voucher is determined by the LHA based on the total annual gross income and family size and is limited to US citizens and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status. In general, the family’s income may not exceed 50% of the median income for the county in which the family chooses to live. By law, the LHA must provide 75% of its vouchers to applicants whose incomes do not exceed 30% of the area median income. The income limits for the area the LHA services are shown below.

If eligible, a voucher is issued to the family or individual and they will have one hundred twenty (120) days to find a suitable unit. Extensions may be granted for medical reasons and/or if the family is disabled. The family, when they are called into our office for a voucher, will be given a briefing and advised as to what the rules and regulations are for obtaining a home and given information to assist them in finding housing.

We calculate the maximum amount of housing assistance allowable which is generally the lesser of the payment standard (the maximum gross rent for the unit voucher size) minus 30% of the family’s monthly adjusted income or the gross rent for the unit minus 30% of monthly adjusted income.

The unit the family selects must meet certain criteria and pass the Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspection prior to any assistance being approved.

Currently the Section 8 Waiting List is closed with over 1,200 families on the list.

The rules and regulation that cover this program can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations, 24 CFR Part 982.

Income Limits – Section 8

New participants’ total annual household income is to be at or below the following amounts in order to be eligible for assistance:

	75% of applicants must be below the following income limits	25% of applicants must be below the following income limits
Family Size	Income	Income
1	$27,450	$45,750
2	$31,400	$52,250
3	$35,300	$58,800
4	$39,200	$65,300
5	$42,350	$70,550
6	$45,500	$75,750
7	$48,650	$81,000
8	$52,720	$86,200
9	$58,100	$91,450
10	$63,480	$96,650
11	$68,860	$101,900
12	$74,240	$107,100
13	$79,620	$112,350
14	$85,000	$117,550
15	$90,380	$122,800