Who is eligible for Section 8?

Eligibility for Section 8 is determined by local public housing agencies designated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, and is based on income, assets and family size. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens.

Applicants with an income over 50 percent of the county or metropolitan median income are not eligible. The law requires 75 percent of vouchers to go to applicants whose income is less than 30 percent of the area's median income. Only 25 percent of vouchers are eligible to go to applicants whose income is between 30 and 50 percent of median income.