Section 8
Application Process
The waiting list for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program in not open at this time due to the large number of persons currently on the waiting list.
During the week of November 1-5, 2010, the Columbia Housing Authority received 1,200 applications for housing assistance . We anticipate that it will take up to 2 years before we will need to open the waiting list again to take more applications for housing assistance.
We encourage families and individuals in need of housing assistance to apply for one of the Public Housing townhomes or apartments that CHA has to offer. CHA is currently accepting applications for Public Housing. The time from application to leasing varies depending on the size and composition of the household and waiting list preferences. For more information please visit our Public Housing page.Waiting List Preferences will be given to three types of households:
- Working Families: This includes those families with a head of household or spouse employed at least 20 hours per week with a minimum 60 day work history. Working Families must provide a paystub from their place of employment to verify their employment status.
- Elderly Households: This includes those families with a head of household or spouse 62 years of age or older.
- Disabled Households: This includes households whose head, spouse, or co-head is a person with a disability.
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GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION
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.
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program is not an emergency housing program. It is considered a permanent housing program, as there is no deadline for termination of services and no set amount of total assistance that can be provided to a family.
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 Ms. Gay Litteken, Director of Housing Voucher Programs at (573) 443-2556, ext. 1414 or glitteken@columbiaha.com.
