The York Housing Authority (YHA) administers the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Rental Assistance Program. The YHA has 1,402 vouchers available and in service for all of YHA’s county-wide service area. This program helps families afford safe, decent and sanitary rental housing that is available through private landlords. Eligible families are given a voucher which can be used to rent a house or an apartment from a participating landlord. Under the HCV program, the tenant will pay at least 30% (no more than 40%) of their adjusted gross monthly income in rent at initial lease-up. The YHA pays the remainder of the negotiated rent. The payment goes directly to the Landlord under a Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Contract.

Who is eligible and how do we select applicants?
The YHA screens applicants for eligibility using HUD rules. The YHA then applies local preferences and ranking to determine waiting list position. When an applicant’s name comes to the top of the list, the applicant is invited to attend a briefing and interview to discuss their application and receive information on the HCV program. Once an applicant has been approved, they are given a voucher. The voucher entitles the applicant to look for housing in the private market.

Before a unit can be leased under the HCV program, staff from the YHA check to ensure that rents charged are reasonable for the area in which the unit is located. The unit must also meet basic Housing Quality Standards (HQS), through an inspection. Participants must find a landlord/owner willing to rent to a household receiving HCV assistance.

Selection criteria used by private landlords varies, allowing each landlord to use his or her own criteria. The YHA verifies a number of facts about the applicant. First, the YHA confirms income information to ensure eligibility. The YHA also checks to make sure that no money is owed to any other housing program and performs a criminal record check to determine whether applicants have a prior criminal history that may impact eligibility.

For more general information on the Section 8 HCV program, you may also visit HUD’s website.