The Chicago Housing Authority is the largest single owner of rental properties in Chicago. More than 50,000 families benefit from help provided by the Chicago Housing Authority. Besides the 21,000 rental units available for seniors and families, the Chicago Housing Authority also administers over 37,000 housing vouchers under Section 8 and other programs to allow families and individuals to choose affordable housing. The Chicago Housing Authority designates their overall housing voucher program as “Section 3,” and an application is available directly from their website, www.thecha.org.

The Chicago Housing Authority has been doing business since 1937 and is due for a major renovation in the coming year, with new federal and state funds becoming available to provide more housing for low-income individuals and families. In 2000, Mayor Daley agreed that the City of Chicago would take over the administration of federal and state housing programs and the city developed the “Plan for Transformation” that is still being implemented.

Because so many families need low-cost housing in Chicago, the city has instituted a “Family Wait List Lottery.” This helps the city manage the thousands of new cases opened every year and prioritize families for waiting list status. Conducted last in 2010, the lottery added 40,000 new families to the waiting list for low-income and voucher-based housing.

As housing becomes available, families on the wait list are called for screening. If approved, the family is given a voucher that designates a certain amount per month to be applied to their rent. The family can choose their apartment or home and is responsible for the balance not paid by the housing voucher.

Unfortunately, the waiting list is currently full. However, as space becomes available, the Chicago Housing Authority contacts new waiting list applicants by letter and informs them that they have been placed on the list. In the meantime, families may qualify for government-owned housing in housing projects.

It is usually easier to qualify for project-based vouchers than family-specific vouchers. If you have immediate need of housing, you can use a project-based voucher, which requires you to live in a specific development, until you become eligible for a family-based voucher, which allows you to live anywhere you like.

All units funded by government assistance must pass certain screening tests. The units must be habitable, have access to clean water and electricity, and meet minimum safety standards. If a family is given a voucher for an apartment or home that does not meet these standards, they can contact the Chicago Housing Authority for an inspection. The landlord will be forced to bring the building up to code or risk losing the funding that pays for the rent.

The Chicago Housing Authority also provides many opportunities for independent contractors and other businesses to provide goods and services needed for housing. If you are interested in doing business with CHA, you can contact them on their website. Bids are taken for various projects according to the guidelines posted on the CHA website and available from their office.

Virginians are experiencing homelessness in record numbers. As of 2011, 1.3 percent of Virginians were without stable housing. Even more disturbing, 42 percent of these people were members of families, especially single mothers and children. Obviously low-income housing is necessary to combat the problem of homelessness, but this is only one facet of the problem. Many more families in Virginia are on the brink of homelessness because the average cost of housing is so high. The state of Virginia estimates that an income of $18.09 per hour is necessary to afford a basic two-bedroom home on average in the state; however, minimum wage averages less than $6.00 per hour after taxes. Because of the disparity between what most people make and the high cost of rent, Virginia has several programs to help individuals and families find affordable homes and apartments.

One program offered by the state of Virginia is called the Rapid Re-Housing Program. This program is administered through several individual vectors such as the Dragas Companies in Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach; Homeward in central Virginia and Richmond; Fairfax County’s Freddie Mac programs; and Family Services in Norton. Each of the agencies aims to reduce homelessness with a combination of financial counseling, funds for immediate housing access, and other support services. All of these programs are operating under the umbrella of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and are funded by the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. A $25 million grant is forthcoming from this federal agency that will give money to all counties in Virginia for homelessness prevention and to help fund affordable housing for families in need.

The state of Virginia also works with landlords to make more housing available under its housing programs. One component of the HPRRP program is the work done with landlords to offer incentives to open more housing for use by families or individuals who are receiving assistance. Landlords have traditionally been unwilling to do this when they can rent their houses and apartments to higher-income families, so incentives have to be fairly good to convince landlords that they will be making a good financial decision by participating in these programs.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, is working with many homeless or low-income families to enable them to rent affordable houses and apartments, but HUD is also working with these same people to make them homeowners. HUD believes that home ownership is one answer to the high-rent problem not only in Virginia but nationwide. Private organizations such as Habitat for Humanity have been very successful in working with families to make them homeowners, and HUD hopes to capitalize on these ideas to bring home ownership to many of Virginia’s low-income citizens. The key to home ownership programs is that they target individuals and couples who have regular income but cannot afford the high initial down payments, fees, and payments associated with conventional loans. Through a variety of programs, HUD helps people buy affordable housing without these high initial costs, and can often keep interest rates low enough so that payments are lower than renting a similarly-sized home.

If you live in Virginia and need help qualifying for low-cost rent or housing, contact your county’s housing authority. You can find your local housing authority by visiting the State of Virginia’s Department of Housing website.

Applying for Section 8 housing can bring many benefits to low-income renters and homeowners. Section 8 is a government program that provides vouchers to “equalize” rent in high-cost housing areas. With a Section 8 voucher, you can afford to rent a nicer apartment or home than you would otherwise be able to manage on your salary. However, filling out a Section 8 voucher can be difficult, and the delays in receiving Section 8 vouchers are numerous.

Here are some tips to help you fill out your voucher successfully and avoid the delays in getting your money so that you can move into your new home as soon as possible.

1) You can pick up an application at your local housing office, or complete one online. If you have access to a computer through your local library or other public institution, you can have your application finished and submitted more quickly, but even if you fill one out by hand, be sure it is submitted as soon as possible. If you are not sure where to look for local Section 8 applications, talk to your local housing authority. Be careful about websites that want a fee for helping you complete your Section 8 application; they are numerous, and not all websites are genuine. If you can fill out the application yourself, you are usually better off. Your local housing authority can provide help if you run into problems while filling out the application.

2) Be sure you give all requested information. Most delays come from incomplete applications or those with incorrect information. You will be asked about your personal information such as name, current address, employment, and rental history. You will also need to provide the names and ages of anyone who will live in the home with you. Do not leave anyone off your application who will be living with you; this could cause serious problems when you receive your voucher.

You may also be asked to provide information that changes periodically, like financial proof of hardship. If you find that your salary has increased or decreased, or that you have a windfall of money from some source, you should report this to your local housing office immediately. Proof of financial hardship can include check stubs, tax returns, and other financial documents. Never give false information on these documents; this is a crime and can cause you terrible consequences.

Confirm that all information, especially your Social Security number, is correct, and sign and date the application. Re-read everything to make sure it is accurate before you submit the application to your local housing office or online.

3) You will receive a priority code when your application is accepted. This is a number that tells you your order on the waiting list. Most Section 8 areas have waiting lists, and there is little you can do to hurry the process along; however, there are many things you can do to slow it down, like providing an incorrect Social Security number or an incorrect address or phone number.

Filling out and turning in your Section 8 housing application does not have to be difficult if you seek help for questions from your local housing office. A well-done application will better your chances of having your Section 8 voucher sooner and moving into your new home as soon as possible.

Section 8 housing is a program funded by the federal government through state housing agencies to provide vouchers for low-income individuals and families for rental assistance. Section 8 housing programs provide a great alternative to public housing projects, allowing tenants to choose their own locations and be close to family, work, and good schools. However, some Section 8 programs are overextended, and waiting lists can be very long. Some people wait for years for Section 8 vouchers, although this generally happens in very populous areas where public funds for every type of program are in high demand.

To qualify for Section 8 housing vouchers, you must be a low-income person or head of household. Low-income is defined as having an income below 50 percent of the median income for your area. You can find this figure by visiting your local housing authority’s website or talking to your local housing authority’s office staff.

Section 8 housing is based on your income. Section 8 housing vouchers will any amount over 30 percent of your adjusted monthly income within certain limits. These limits are based on the fair market value of rent in the area in which you live. For example, if you make $1,500 per month, and the market value of rentals in your area is $900 per month, the Section 8 program would pay up to $450 per month towards your rent if you qualify for the program. If your rent is over $900 per month, you would pay the additional rent out of your own pocket.

The first step to receiving Section 8 assistance is acquiring a voucher. This must be done before you can receive any funds under the Section 8 program. Normally, you can expect to wait several months for a Section 8 voucher if you live in an area of relatively low population density and high average income. In this case, you will probably receive your assistance quickly. However, if you live in a large urban area where Section 8 applications are numerous and overall income is very low, you may have to wait much longer for your voucher. Some people are on Section 8 waiting lists for years before being approved. In the meantime, you can talk to your local housing authority about other housing assistance programs, such as landlord rental incentive apartments or houses and government-owned housing projects.

There are two forms of Section 8 vouchers: tenant-based and project-based. One great thing about the tenant-based Section 8 program is that the vouchers are transferrable from one county or district to another. Once you have applied for and received your voucher, you can rent an apartment or house, or even purchase a condo or home, in another part of your city, county, or state. On the other hand, project-based Section 8 vouchers are tied to a specific apartment or house, and cannot be transferred. If you move, the next tenant can take advantage of the Section 8 voucher for your old house or apartment. The advantage to this type of Section 8 voucher is that it may be a quicker route to achieving Section 8 assistance for people waiting for a tenant-based voucher.