Low Income Housing Information
Importance of Renter's Insurance
What are the Advantages of Section 8 Housing in NJ?
Generally speaking, it is difficult to speak of "advantages" per se to Section 8 housing anywhere in the United States. This subsidized rental program has fairly strict guidelines which means that only people truly in dire need for assistance with their housing can qualify for it. Further, in some places - like New Jersey - where there is a strong demand for subsidized housing, it can be difficult to get into a unit unless the applicant qualifies as a prioritized person (usually a single mother with young children or senior citizens) with the local public housing authority (PHA).
The general rule of thumb is that in order to qualify for Section 8 housing, a person has to make fifty percent or less of the median income for the locality in question. These median incomes are determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and are broken down by counties and metropolitan areas. So, in order to qualify, the person has to have an annual income of fifty percent or less of this predetermined income level. Making this more difficult, all of the local PHAs have a specific mandate to issue seventy-five percent of their Section 8 vouchers to people making thirty percent of the median income or less. This means that it is even more difficult for people making between thirty and fifty percent of the median income, since only twenty-five percent of the PHAs vouchers are available to these people.
It also has to be understood that there are two forms of Section 8 housing: project-based and tenant-based. Project-based Section 8 housing is directly tied to the housing unit, meaning that the unit itself was built (or rehabilitated) specifically to serve as low income housing. This is the type of Section 8 housing that dominates in New Jersey, which means that new applicants only get on a waiting list once approved and then have to wait for a vacancy. In some cases this wait can last for years.
Tenant-based Section 8 (also known as the Home Choice Voucher program or HCV) housing means that the qualifying person receives a certificate from the local PHA saying that they qualify and then can find their own housing in within that PHA's jurisdiction. Tenant-based Section 8 housing is generally viewed as the better option today since it integrates low income people into society at large as opposed to creating low income "areas" or slums. While there is some HCV housing available in New Jersey, it is much less common and many landlords are not enthusiastic about accepting Section 8 vouchers. The result is that for most people, project-based Section 8 housing is the only real option in New Jersey.
Outside of some rural areas, New Jersey has some of the highest rents in the United States, so it is clearly advantageous to receive Section 8 housing; but it is in serious demand and can take quite a while to get it. Even if a person meets the basic requirements for Section 8 housing, since most of the housing available is project-based, the applicant has to wait until there is a vacancy. There have been a number of new developments created in recent years that has offset part of the backlog, but it can still take quite a while to actually get it and move in.