Good NestingWe’ll explain what these vouchers are and how to get them quickly, so you can stop giving so much of your income to your landlord.
Housing Choice Vouchers Explained
What’s your most considerable monthly expense? If you’re like most, it’s probably your rent. And if you’re living on a limited income, it’s not out of the question for you to spend over half of it on the rent.
Now, imagine being able to use a coupon for your rent that limits how much of your income gets sent to the landlord each month. And imagine having to only pay 30 percent of your income towards the rent, with the government paying the rest, thanks to that coupon.
Well, that hypothetical coupon is basically what a Housing Choice Voucher is. It limits your out-of-pocket rent expense so you can start saving for other things.
If you like the sound of how Housing Choice Vouchers work, you’re certainly not alone, as many do. But this presents a problem between the high demand for vouchers and their low supply.
Even if you qualify for a housing voucher due to having a low income, there’s no guarantee that you’ll have it in your hands quickly. How long can it take to get a voucher? As exaggerated as it may sound, some say they’ve been told there’s a 10-year wait.
The way the Section 8 housing voucher process works is relatively simple. You apply for the voucher by contacting a Public Housing Agency near you. If you qualify, you’ll get put on a waitlist. And that waitlist is what could take 10 years to process.
Luckily, you don’t have to wait that long, provided you’re proactive and make the following moves.
How To Get A Housing Choice Voucher Quickly
You can get a voucher in your hands faster than others on the waitlist in several ways. For starters, you can ask your counselor at the PHA if they have any waitlist preferences. These circumstances can catapult you up the list while others have to wait. For instance, if you’re homeless, a victim of domestic violence, living in substandard housing, or pay over 50 percent of your income towards rent, those are preferences that can shorten your wait for a voucher.
Beyond waitlist preferences, you can also contact as many PHAs as possible. Make a list of them using that link above, and focus on ones near your city and in your county, state, and other locations. Also, contact as many waitlists as possible since some are longer than others. With an average of 10 waitlists per small city and 50 per large city, there’s no reason why you can’t make several contacts.
Perhaps the quickest way to get affordable housing is to skip the voucher process altogether.
This can be accomplished by making a list of affordable housing buildings and contacting their management teams. Ask if they have units that charge just 30 percent of income, and you can move in without needing a voucher.
To find such buildings you can contact directly, ask your PHA for a list, Google affordable housing in your area, or use this map.
