The Housing Choice Voucher Program is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes and apartments. A family that is issued a housing choice voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family’s choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program. This unit may include the family’s present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by NYCHA. A rental subsidy is paid to the owner directly by NYCHA on behalf of the family. The family then pays 30% of household income as the difference between the contract rent approved for the owner and the amount subsidized by the program.

Your application is managed by the Customer Contact Centers listed below. Please call or visit your borough office for any questions or updates to your application, 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.

NYCHA Borough Customer Contact Centers:

Brooklyn / Staten Island Customer Contact Center:
787 Atlantic Avenue, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 707-7771

Bronx Applications / Manhattan Customer Contact Center:
478 East Fordham Road, 2nd Floor
Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 707-7771

Queens Applications Customer Contact Center:
90-27 Sutphin Boulevard, 4th Floor
Jamaica, NY 11435
(718) 707-7771

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How can I apply for Section 8 Housing Assistance?

The Section 8 waiting list is closed and is no longer accepting applications.

Yes. But the applicant can only rent in one program. If an applicant rents a Section 8 apartment or a public housing apartment, the applicant's priority status for the program that he/she was not selected for will be changed to reflect the fact that they now reside in a Section 8 or public housing apartment. A priority status change in this instance would likely mean that an applicant would not be reached on the waiting list.
Please review the Section 8 priority codes
Please review the Public Housing need-based priority codes

After 90 days, you can call the Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771 to confirm receipt of your application.

Applicants can check the status of their application online. You must register with the Self-Service Portal to access your application status. Note: registrants must be the head of household listed in the application.

Section 8 applications do not expire. It will remain active until you receive notification for an interview.

There is no way to predict how long you may have to wait before you are called for an eligibility interview. The number of families reached for eligibility interviews is dependent upon the availability of vouchers which changes yearly. As vouchers become available, applications are selected by computer from a preliminary list of applicants based on numerous factors including, but not limited to, priority and application date. If you are found eligible, your application will then be certified to the Leased Housing Department who will invite you to attend a briefing session to obtain your voucher.

The demand for Section 8 Housing Assistance far exceeds the supply. There are over 122,000 applicants on the preliminary waiting list.

Yes. The maximum family gross income that a family may have is based on family size. The income limits are listed at the following link.
INCOME LIMITS

No. You are not required to have a minimum income but you or a family member who will reside with you must have some type of income.

You do not have to be a citizen of the United States but at least one member of your family must be a United States citizen or a non-citizen with eligible immigration status.

Yes. You and your co-head (spouse or domestic partner), if any, must be at least 18 years of age.

Rent is based on 30% of the family’s adjusted gross income.

What should I do if I change my address after I submit an application?

You must call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center and inform them of the change. This ensures that you will receive any mailings concerning your application.

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What should I do if I have a change in my family composition?

You must call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center.

You do not have to report changes to the amount of your income but you should call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center if you are a one-person applicant and you have started receiving disability benefits. One-person applicants who are elderly or disabled are reached for an interview before one-person families who are not elderly or disabled.

You should refer to the Guide to Section 8 Housing Assistance Program to determine whether the change in your housing situation will affect your housing priority. In most situations, the housing priority will not change and you do not need to report the change. If you have any concerns about your application, you should call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center.
Please review the Section 8 priority codes

You should call or visit your Borough Customer Contact Center as soon as possible to make arrangements to reschedule. However, you must make this request within six months from the date of your first appointment date.

NYCHA must determine that the family is eligible to participate in the Program. This will be determined at the eligibility interview. NYCHA then issues a housing choice voucher to the family; if one is available.

After their applications are certified for Section 8 eligibility, and assuming a voucher is available for them, families will receive a notice from the Leased Housing Department advising them that they must attend a briefing where the voucher is issued. Your Borough Customer Contact Center must be immediately notified if there are any mailing address changes before the briefing notice is received.

NYCHA does not provide Section 8 apartments. It is the applicants' responsibility to find their own apartment within six months of the issuance of the voucher. The apartment must meet Federal Housing Quality Standards (HQS). NYCHA does provide on its website, a listing of Available Apartments by Borough. It is the responsibility of the applicant to verify the availability of the listed apartment(s).

NYCHA does not pay security deposits or moving expenses. NYCHA pays broker fees only for disabled applicants or tenants as a reasonable accommodation. The tenant is responsible for paying for any utilities not included in the rent according to the lease.

Assuming funds are available, waiting times for the issuance of a voucher vary in each borough where the application is certified. Generally, the wait for emergency priorities is shorter than for non-emergency briefings. For both types of applications, once funding becomes available, the pace at which briefings are scheduled may also affect waiting times.

You can rent an apartment at a higher rent but NYCHA will only pay the difference between the payment standard and the portion above 30% of income. The resident has to pay the difference if the rent is higher. You can rent an apartment that is one room larger than the voucher apartment size but the rent cannot be more than 40% of the family’s adjusted gross income at the time of initial occupancy.

Yes. Section 8 voucher holders can choose to move anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, as long as there is a Section 8 Program being administered in that locality.

Generally, Section 8 vouchers are active for 180 days