Housing Choice Vouchers

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

• Annual spending bills that provide full funding for all vouchers currently in use.
• Increased number of incremental vouchers.
• Legislation to require or incentivize state and regional voucher administration.
• Broader use of HUD’s  Small Area Fair Market Rents in the voucher program.
• Preventing the implementation of time limits and imposition of minimum rent increases without strong improvements to hardship exemptions.
• Preventing expanding MTW beyond the number of public housing authorities already authorized to participate in the demonstration.

For more information on public housing, contact Sarah Saadian, Senior Director of Policy, at [email protected] or 202.662.1530 x228.