Housing is a major problem across the United States as there is continuing decline in affordable housing for working Americans. Over 4,000 people or nearly 10% of the Los Angeles population, are homeless. They also said that fewer homeowners indicate an increasing number of renters, which would correlate to higher rent, as the National Housing Conference reported. The state of California has proposed several solutions to mitigate the housing crisis.
The Section 8 housing program is a California service to help people who have no financial means to secure housing in the long term. The project aims to assist low-income families in finding homes within their limited funds.
A growing number of Californians are becoming homeless, with the surging rent increase and inflation. (Photo: The New York Times)
The project is funded by the United States Department of Housing and Development (HUD) and the California Public Housing Authority (PHA) operates the projects with more than 100 offices throughout the state.
The assistance comes in the form of vouchers directly distributed to the landlord or property owner on behalf of the applicant.
According to Marca, to qualify for this program, applicants should be American citizens. Family size and the total gross annual income are the bases for acceptance. The income should not exceed 50% of the area’s median income.
Additionally, the program’s approval would prioritize citizens with younger children who care for the elderly, are pregnant or are disabled. At the same time, those who have criminal records will be approved on a case-by-case basis.
The California PHA does not restrict the applicants in the type of property. They also have a database of eligible properties to help the applicant in choosing their property. But, the applicant also has the right to choose other properties outside the said database as long the landlord is willing to accept the voucher.
