Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers
for Worcester, Massachusetts
AN OVERVIEW
Section 8 housing is a federal
government assistance program that helps low-income families and individuals
in Worcester and other cities nationwide pay for their housing. Section 8
housing assistance may be in the form
of rental vouchers given to Worcester tenants to help pay their rent; Section
8 homeownership assistance to help pay a mortgage loan; or project-based subsidies
used to keep rents low in specific private housing developments in Worcester.
Section 8 is also called the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
For more information, click on one of the topics below:
With a Section 8 tenant-based voucher, a family may choose its own apartment.
The apartment must be safe and clean, and the rent must be reasonable. Families
usually pay 30% of their income for rent, and the Section 8 voucher covers
the rest. If the family moves, they may use their voucher for a different
apartment.
With a project-based Section 8 voucher, a family must live in a specific Section
8 subsidized housing unit. These subsidized housing units are privately
owned, but the
owners get help from the government in return for low rents. Families pay
30% of their
income for rent, and Section 8 pays the rest. If the family moves, the voucher
goes to the next family that rents that apartment.
A family that has had a Section 8 housing rental voucher for at least a year
and decides to buy their own home may use their voucher to help pay for
the mortgage. To qualify,
the family must be a first-time homebuyer and must find a house to
buy that meets the Section 8 program standards.
Use the online Rental
Assistance Eligibility Check to see if you might qualify
for benefits.
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