Wyoming Section 8 Housing

Low Income Housing Information

Low income housing can be a godsend, but if you don't know how to apply, or who to get your information to, how can you ever expect to be approved?

Since laws and procedure vary from state to state, you'll need to learn a few specifics before applying. We can help!

Is Section 8 Housing Available in Wyoming?

Originally implemented in 1974, today the Section 8 housing program is the largest and most successful low income housing program in the United States. Section 8 housing is available in all fifty states - including Wyoming - though how the program is implemented and administered may differ widely between states. These differences stem primarily the political outlook of the state in question, with conservative states placing greater emphasis on helping property owners and land developers take advantage of federal incentive programs and more liberal states working more to help its low income residents get decent places to live.

Wyoming falls more in the conservative camp, so many of the state resources available, such as the Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA, www.wyomingcda.com) and Wyoming Housing Network (WHN, www.whninc.org) are either focused on helping property owners and developers or helping low income people achieve home ownership as opposed to providing resources for subsidized rental units. Further, as a largely rural state, many of Wyoming's affordable housing options are actually rural, developed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program. Strictly Section 8 properties are limited primarily to the major urban areas, which are in their own right few and far between in Wyoming.

Most Section 8 housing in Wyoming is project-based, meaning that the rental subsidy is linked directly to the housing unit and the local public housing agency (PHA) determines who can move into these units. More often than not, renters benefiting from the Section 8 program are expected to pay at least a portion of their rent and the remainder is made up for through vouchers that are issued to the PHA by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The PHAs do all of the local administration work, including accepting new applications, operating the waiting lists, setting local affordable housing priorities, overseeing the rental units themselves, and dealing with the local landlords and property managers.

The primary determining factor for qualifying for Section 8 housing is a means test, in which the applicant's annual gross income is compared against the local median income as determined by HUD. HUD regularly updates and adjusts the median income figures by locality - usually a county or metropolitan area - which means that just because someone qualifies for Section 8 housing in one location does not mean that they do in another. The basic qualifying standard is that the applicant has to make fifty percent or less of the recognized median income of the locality in question. Just to ensure that the majority of Section 8 vouchers or units go to those most in need, all PHAs are also mandated by law to award seventy-five percent of their vouchers to applicants making thirty percent or less of the local median income. This means that qualifying people that make between thirty and fifty percent below the median income have an even more difficult time getting units.

The best way to find out about Section 8 housing in Wyoming is to contact the relevant local PHA directly to see what is available. A comprehensive list of all HUD-recognized PHAs can be found on the HUD website: www.hud.gov. The local PHA should be able to tell people what the local situation is like, what the specific qualifying standards are, what the local waiting periods are, and provide additional information about other options, like those run by non-profits and charities.