Section 8
The Housing Choice Voucher Program for Section 8 Rental Assistance – commonly referred to as “Section 8” – is a federal housing program, established by Congress in 1974, that provides rental assistance to low-income families and individuals, which allows them to rent units in the private rental market. The tenant is responsible for paying the security deposit and their portion of the monthly rent (approximately 30% of the adjusted household income). The balance of the monthly rent is paid directly to the landlord by the Columbia Housing Authority (CHA).
CHA’s Section 8 program provides rental subsidies to over 1,100 low-income persons that allow them to rent units from more than 700 private landlords located throughout Boone County.
“High Performer”
CHA was rated a “High Performer” in Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP) for the most recent fiscal year. SEMAP measures the performance of public housing authorities that administer the Section 8 Rental Assistance Program in 14 key areas. SEMAP helps HUD field offices target additional monitoring and assistance to public housing authority programs that need the most improvement. The 14 indicators of performance show whether public housing authorities help eligible families to afford decent rental units at a reasonable subsidy cost as intended by federal housing legislation.
To be designated a “High Performer,” a public housing authority must have a composite SEMAP score of at least 90%. CHA’s composite score was 100%.
For more information, contact Roberta Gill at (573) 443-2556, ext. 1412 or rgill@columbiaha.com.
