Housing Choice Vouchers help low income Americans find affordable housing in the private housing market by reimbursing the landlord for the difference between what a household can afford to pay in rent and the rent itself. Also called tenant-based Section 8, the Housing Choice Voucher program is HUD’s largest rental assistance program; it also serves the lowest income people because of deep income targeting guidelines. NLIHC advocates protecting and expanding the housing choice voucher program with the goal of assisting as many extremely low income households as possible.

NLIHC supports:
•    Voucher reform legislation that does not include:
      o     time limits,
      o    MTW expansion beyond what was in 2012’s stakeholder agreement, or
      o    minimum rent increases without strong improvements to hardship exemptions.
•    Legislation to incentivize state and regional voucher administration.
•    Increased number of incremental vouchers.
•    Full funding for all current vouchers in FY14 HUD budget, along with increases for Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers, Family Unification Vouchers, and Non-Elderly Disabled vouchers.
•    HUD’s  Small Area Fair Market Rent demonstration and additional resources so as to encourage public housing agency participation in demonstration.