What is Section 8?
Section 8 tenants are generally working people who don’t earn enough to pay prevailing rents, said Guy Kempe, the director of community development at Rural Ulster Preservation Company, which administers the program. The tenants may also include elderly or disabled people who don’t earn enough to pay the full rent, he said. However, he said, able-bodied single people are not generally accepted for Section 8 vouchers.
The amount of the subsidy is based on the income prospective tenants receive. The agency determines how much rent they can afford, based on their income, and the program pays the difference between what the agency determines they can afford and the allowable rent directly to the landlord, Kempe said.
Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 authorizes the payment of rental housing assistance to private landlords on behalf of low-income households. The program allows landlords to set aside some of the units in their buildings for low income tenants in return for a government guarantee to make up the difference between the tenant contribution and the rent specified in the owner’s contract with the government.
