How to Get Section Eight in Pasco County, Florida
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) oversees the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, a subsidized housing initiative that covers the portion of a low-income family's private market rent that is greater than 30 to 40 percent of its household income. You employ the same general process to get Section 8 assistance in Pasco County, Florida, as you do in most other places across the nation.
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Instructions
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Look up HUD's income limits for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, metropolitan area. The U.S. Census Bureau confirms that Pasco County is part of that metro area. You can find HUD's annually published income limits at the HUD Data Sets website. As HUD's Housing Choice Voucher fact sheet notes, Section 8 assistance is open to families with household incomes at or below 50 percent of their area's median. For the Tampa metro, 50 percent of the median for a family of five equals $32,100, as of 2010.
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Contact the Pasco County Housing Authority (PCHA) at 352-567-0848. PCHA administers the Section 8 program in Pasco County.
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Ask PCHA if its Section 8 waiting list is open. Alternatively, keep your eye on its website and the local media, such as newspapers and television. The PCHA website indicates that applications "are only accepted during advertised times."
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Get on PCHA's Section 8 waiting list when it is open. Getting a spot on the list does not guarantee housing. When your name reaches the top of the list, a PCHA representative will contact you to set up a time for an eligibility interview. At this meeting, you must confirm the information you submitted on your application. For instance, you'll verify your household size and income by using birth certificates, Social Security numbers, tax returns and paycheck stubs. If PCHA approves your application, it will issue you a Section 8 voucher you can use to obtain market-rate housing in Pasco County.
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Search for rental vacancies in Pasco County with landlords who accept Section 8 renters. You can find listings through traditional sources. You can also search the Go Section 8 website, which specializes in Section 8 advertisements. PCHA should also be able to help you locate Section 8 apartments.
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Provide a Request for Tenancy Approval form to a landlord who agrees to rent to you. The landlord should complete the form and return it to you with other documents requested by PCHA. PCHA will review the information you submit and, upon approving it, set up a time to inspect your prospective landlord's property. If it meets HUD's Housing Quality Standards, PCHA will authorize you to execute a one-year lease agreement with the landlord.
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Tips & Warnings
PCHA also offers Section 8 new construction. PCHA owns and operates Section 8 new construction developments. The housing subsidy with these units, however, stays with the dwelling as opposed to the tenant-based assistance described in this article. If you move while on tenant-based assistance, you can keep your subsidy. If you move while in a Section 8 new construction project, you lose your subsidy.
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