Georgia Section 8 Housing Guidelines
Like most states, a large portion of Georgia's low-income housing offerings come through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Section 8, or housing choice voucher, program. Throughout the state, local housing authorities and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) distribute Section 8 subsidies that make private market rents affordable for eligible low-income households.
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Significance
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The Section 8 program closes the gap between market-rate rents and what a low-income household can afford. Generally, as the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) explains, housing is affordable if a family devotes no more than 30 percent of their combined income to the cost of rent and utilities. In Georgia, the 2010 market rate for a two-bedroom unit is $789. According to data analyzed by NLIHC, it takes a full-time hourly wage of $15.18 to afford a two-bedroom. In the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta metropolitan area, where the typical two-bedroom costs $912, that number jumps to $17.54. Georgia's minimum wage, as of 2010, is $7.25.
Function
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The aim of the Section 8 program is to close the affordability gap. To achieve this objective, HUD allocates Section 8 vouchers to public housing agencies throughout Georgia. The voucher represents the difference between HUD-determined market rate rents for an area and 30 to 40 percent of a program participant's gross household income, according to HUD's housing choice voucher fact sheet. As the moniker "housing choice" infers, voucher recipients can select units from private landlords who will accept Section 8 tenants, not public housing complexes.
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Administration
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Georgia administers its Section 8 program differently than other states. Most states allow local housing authorities to run the Section 8 initiative. In Georgia, this is the case in some areas, such as Atlanta. DCA, however, handles Section 8 for a majority of Georgia's counties. DCA provides listings at its website noting areas where DCA runs Section 8 and areas where the program is under local housing authority control. In either situation, HUD provides funding, general guidelines and oversight, while the state and local agencies take care of day-to-day tasks, such as screening applicants and managing waiting lists.
Eligibility
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Regardless of where a household lives, its combined income cannot exceed 50 percent of its area's median income if it wishes consideration for the Section 8 program. Federal law requires public housing agencies to give 75 percent of their Section 8 vouchers to families with earnings at or below 30 percent of their area's median. In addition to income, HUD's housing choice vouchers fact sheet explains that households must confirm who will be living in an assisted unit by providing documents such as birth certificates and Social Security numbers. HUD also notes that only U.S. Citizens and those holding an "eligible immigration status" can qualify for Section 8 assistance.
Geography
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In the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta metro area, for example, 50 percent of the median for a two-person family equals $28,750, while 30 percent is $17,250, as of HUD's 2010 figures. These numbers drop considerably in areas of less affluence. For instance, in Decatur County, Georgia, a two-person household is at 50 percent of their area's median income if they make $18,600 a year and 30 percent if they earn $11,150.
Considerations
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Even if a family meets Section 8's relatively straightforward eligibility guidelines, there is no guarantee of a housing voucher. Most Section 8 programs in Georgia maintain a waiting list. As of October 2010, officials have closed the waiting list for Georgia's largest program, in Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Housing Authority website. DCA maintains a waiting list update page for the Section 8 programs it runs. An October 2010 review of the database reveals mostly closed lists. Prior to reopening a list, DCA or the local housing authority must place public notices in local newspapers to alert prospective applicants.
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