How to Apply for Section 8 Housing in Dallas County, Texas
Learn how Section 8 housing choice vouchers work., Determine whether you are eligible for Section 8., Understand your obligations as a tenant.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn how Section 8 housing choice vouchers work.
Section 8 is the federal government's way of providing safe and sanitary housing for very low-income, disabled, and elderly Americans.
Section 8 provides vouchers for private housing; families or individuals provided a Section 8 voucher are responsible for renting their own housing unit from a landlord who agrees to participate in the program.
Vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies.
In Dallas County, the relevant agency is the Dallas County Housing Agency.
The subsidy voucher is paid directly to the landlord by your public housing agency.
You are then responsible for paying the difference between the subsidy voucher and the rent a landlord is charging for a certain housing unit. (For example, if your voucher is $400/month and the rent on your apartment is $600/month, you'll be responsible for paying the remaining $200/month.) Under certain circumstances, Section 8 vouchers may be used toward purchase of a modest home.To learn about this program in Dallas County, call 214-819-6060. -
Step 2: Determine whether you are eligible for Section 8.
Your eligibility will be determined by your local public housing agency
-- the Dallas County Housing Agency
-- and is based upon annual gross income, family size, and citizenship.
Section 8 is limited to U.S. citizens and specific categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status.
Generally, your family's income cannot exceed 50 percent of the median household income in your county or metropolitan area
-- in this case, Dallas County, Texas.
Public housing agencies are required to provide 75 percent of their funds to families whose incomes do not exceed 30 percent of an area's median income.Consult the Dallas County Housing Agency for specifics regarding income requirements in your county. , You must sign a lease agreement committing you to staying in your housing unit for at least one year.
You may be required to pay a security deposit.
Once in a unit, you are required to comply with lease and program requirements, pay your portion of the rent on time, maintain the housing unit, and notify your public housing authority of any changes in your income or the composition of your family.
After one year, you may sign a new lease, or your landlord may allow you to switch from month-to-month renting.
Section 8 benefits are portable; you may move as long as you notify your public housing authority ahead of time, follow the terms of your rental agreement, and find acceptable alternative housing. -
Step 3: Understand your obligations as a tenant.
Detailed Guide
Section 8 is the federal government's way of providing safe and sanitary housing for very low-income, disabled, and elderly Americans.
Section 8 provides vouchers for private housing; families or individuals provided a Section 8 voucher are responsible for renting their own housing unit from a landlord who agrees to participate in the program.
Vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies.
In Dallas County, the relevant agency is the Dallas County Housing Agency.
The subsidy voucher is paid directly to the landlord by your public housing agency.
You are then responsible for paying the difference between the subsidy voucher and the rent a landlord is charging for a certain housing unit. (For example, if your voucher is $400/month and the rent on your apartment is $600/month, you'll be responsible for paying the remaining $200/month.) Under certain circumstances, Section 8 vouchers may be used toward purchase of a modest home.To learn about this program in Dallas County, call 214-819-6060.
Your eligibility will be determined by your local public housing agency
-- the Dallas County Housing Agency
-- and is based upon annual gross income, family size, and citizenship.
Section 8 is limited to U.S. citizens and specific categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status.
Generally, your family's income cannot exceed 50 percent of the median household income in your county or metropolitan area
-- in this case, Dallas County, Texas.
Public housing agencies are required to provide 75 percent of their funds to families whose incomes do not exceed 30 percent of an area's median income.Consult the Dallas County Housing Agency for specifics regarding income requirements in your county. , You must sign a lease agreement committing you to staying in your housing unit for at least one year.
You may be required to pay a security deposit.
Once in a unit, you are required to comply with lease and program requirements, pay your portion of the rent on time, maintain the housing unit, and notify your public housing authority of any changes in your income or the composition of your family.
After one year, you may sign a new lease, or your landlord may allow you to switch from month-to-month renting.
Section 8 benefits are portable; you may move as long as you notify your public housing authority ahead of time, follow the terms of your rental agreement, and find acceptable alternative housing.
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Ann Ford
Brings years of experience writing about pet care and related subjects.
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