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.

Memo to Members and Partners Articles

HUD PIH Announces Asset- and Credit-Building Moving to Work (MTW) Cohort

HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) posted Notice PIH 2022-11 inviting public housing agencies (PHAs) to apply to a new Moving to Work Demonstration (MTW) cohort that will experiment with policies and practices that help residents build financial assets and/or build credit. For the…

HUD Posts Emergency Housing Voucher How-To Guide for Public Housing Agencies

HUD has published a new guidebook, Emergency Housing Vouchers: A How-To Guide for Public Housing Agencies. The guidebook provides public housing agencies (PHAs), Continuums of Care (CoCs), and Victim Services Providers (VSPs) with an overview of the operating requirements of the Emergency Housing…

HUD PIH Notice Describes Expedited Waivers for Public Housing and Vouchers

HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) posted Notice PIH 2021-34, announcing that public housing agencies (PHAs) may apply to receive expedited PIH review of certain regulatory waivers originally allowed in Notice PIH 2021-14 in response to the CARES Act (see Memo, 5/10). PIH has…