How to Apply for Georgia Section 8

Georgia Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program offers decent, safe, and sanitary housing to low income families living in the state of Georgia. The Section 8 offers rental assistance through its House Choice Voucher program where eligible households will receive a voucher to pay a part of their monthly rent. The beneficiaries will still need to pay 30% of their household income while the remaining rent will be paid by Section 8.

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program is funded by U.S department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) administer the program at the county level to ensure that the most vulnerable families in the state of Georgia can afford better housing through proper distribution of Section 8 funding.

Georgia Section 8 is a tenant-based program where applicants will sign a lease contract with their landlord. The rental assistance will be paid directly to the landlord by DCA. Families receiving rental assistance vouchers can find a suitable house anywhere in the state of Georgia, including family homes, townhouses, and apartments. The program integrates low-income households into the mainstream society so that there can be a balance in the society and low-income families can get an opportunity to enjoy better living. Qualified applicants can search for affordable housing using these link (http://www.georgiahousingsearch.org/).

If you were living inside jurisdiction of DCA at the time of making the application for voucher program, you can get a house anywhere in the country. But if you were living outside jurisdiction of DCA at the time of making such application, you will need to live within DCA jurisdiction for 12 months.

Georgia Section 8 program operates through DCA offices that will maintain a waiting list for rental assistance. If your local DCA has closed accepting applications for Section 8, you can visit this link (http://www.dca.ga.gov/RentalAssistance/WaitingLists/Public/CountySelection.aspx) and see if the applications are being accepted.

Who can Qualify for Section 8?

Georgia Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program is available only to those who meet the following eligibility requirements.

• You must be a U.S citizen or a qualified alien to receive rental assistance through Section 8.

• You must be a resident of state of Georgia.

• Your income should be at or below the 50% of the area median income according to the family size. You can view complete income guidelines here (http://www.dca.state.ga.us/housing/rentalassistance/programs/downloads/Income%20Limits.pdf).

• Each rental unit selected for Section 8 program should meet HUD’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS).

• Rent for each rental unit should be at market level when compared to rent of other houses in the same neighborhood.

How to Apply

To apply for Georgia Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, you will need to contact DCA when the applications are being accepted. You can call at (888) 858-6085 or (404) 327-7912 to get information about opening dates of Section 8 assistance. DCA also provides information as to opening of waiting list for Section 8 by publishing a Public Notice in the newspaper.

Once the waiting list is open, you can call the numbers provided above and ask for an application to be mailed to you. You will need to complete the application and return it to DCA office.

DCA will review family composition and its income to determine eligibility for the program. A family qualifying for Section 8 waiting list will receive a Housing Choice Voucher that can be used for searching appropriate housing. DCA will inspect the house to determine whether or not it meets quality standards before finally allowing it as a rental unit under Section 8.

DCA will sign a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract with landlord to provide rental assistance to eligible tenants. Household receiving the assistance will need to sign a regular tenant contract with the landlord.