Learn About Section 8 Housing in North Carolina
The Section 8 housing program in North Carolina helps low income families, elderly people and residents with disabilities find affordable housing in the private market. By providing a housing subsidy, the program helps its beneficiaries make their monthly rent payments at local market rates.
Residents who are part of the Section 8 program pay up to 30 percent of their monthly income on a rental property that is priced at a local market rate. The Section 8 program pays for the remaining portion of the monthly rent. This way, landlords are guaranteed to receive their full payment without having to evict low-income tenants.
The North Carolina Section 8 program is administered on a federal level by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Overall, HUD housing is funded by the U.S. government and operated at the state and local level. As such, state residents must apply with their local Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). Since these benefits are managed on a local level, eligibility requirements, application methods and other regulations may vary by location.
The Section 8 application process typically varies depending on your location. Certain PHAs require you to schedule an in-person appointment and provide certain necessary documents in order to submit an application. Other PHAs require you to email, mail or fax your application package. Alternatively, a few PHAs have online portals that allow you to submit your Section 8 housing application and documents online.
For example, the Raleigh PHA requires you to submit a paper application by mail or in person. Alternatively, the PHA in Asheville requires you to fill out an application in person during office hours on Monday through Thursday. Moreover, the Albemarle Department of Public Housing only accepts paper applications the first Monday of each month, prioritizing applicants who live and work in the Stanly County area.
If you want to apply for Section 8 in North Carolina, make sure to look up the available application methods in your area. Very few areas have an online submission process, which means that you can expect to fill out a paper application in person to receive benefits in most counties.
It is important to note that you are not always allowed to submit a Section 8 housing application, even if you are deemed eligible for coverage. Often, the demand for Section 8 benefits far exceeds the supply of available vouchers, forcing most PHAs to limit their application period. In many locations, applications may not be accepted for multiple months or years at a time.
If you submit an application and qualify for benefits, your name is placed on a Section 8 waiting list. That is because, in most areas, the demand for Section 8 coverage far exceeds the number of vouchers available.
In addition, it is important to note that there is no time limit for how long applicants can remain in the Section 8 program once they start receiving vouchers. Therefore, you may spend a long time on a waitlist before you receive a voucher. In certain cases, there may be hundreds of people ahead of you in line.
Once you are on the Section 8 waiting list, you must update your information on a regular basis. If your income, address or household makeup changes, you are required to inform your local PHA. Moreover, if you fail to update your address, you may miss important notices.
As an example, the Belmont Housing Authority sends notice in the mail to applicants on the list confirming whether they are still interested in the program. Anyone who fails to respond to the notice is purged from the list. If you do not update your address, you will not receive the notice at your current location and may lose your spot.
You can generally contact your local PHA in order to request a Section 8 waiting list status update. This may help you anticipate when you will receive a voucher.