The Income Limits for Florida State Low Income Housing in 2008
Like most states, Florida relies heavily on two HUD programs to satisfy its need for low-income housing. Housing agencies across Florida administer rental assistance through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs. Because both provide federal money to subsidize the rents of needy families, HUD must ensure that benefits go to the people who need them most.
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Context
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HUD directs Florida housing agencies to approve Section 8 and public housing applications to families with incomes that fall below a certain level. Each year, HUD releases income limits for counties and metropolitan areas across the country. Florida housing providers rely on these figures not only to regulate Section 8 and public housing access, but usually to control who receives benefits in other state and local low-income housing initiatives.
Categories
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HUD breaks down income limits into three primary categories: low-income, very low-income and extremely low-income. Families who fall into the low-income category have combined incomes at or below 80 percent of their area's median income. Households in the very-low income group have annual earnings at or below 50 percent of their area's median, while those in the extremely low-income classification take in annual wages at or below 30 percent of their area's median. Public housing draws from all three groups. HUD only accepts very low-income and extremely low-income households into the Section 8 program.
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Geography
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Income limits increase as household size grows. They also vary by county or metropolitan area. For example, the 2008 extremely low-income cutoff for a family of four in the Lakeland, Florida, metro area was $15,200. In Fort Lauderdale, it was $21,350 for a four-person household. Up the family size to five individuals in Fort Lauderdale and the extremely low-income threshold jumped to $23,050 in 2008.
Comparison
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HUD's income limits for a given year generally take effect between February and May of that year. Things can change from year to year. For example, in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau changed the Lakeland, Florida, metro area to add Winter Haven. The extremely low-income cutoff for four people in the metro rose to $15,800. While the Fort Lauderdale metro stayed the same, the extremely low-income cap increased to $23,750 for a family of four.
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