Application Instructions for New Hampshire Section 8

Step 1

New Hampshire Housing and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) work together to provide affordable and safe housing for New Hampshire residents. If your household is considered to be low-income, or you have an elderly or disabled family member living with you, then you may be eligible for New Hampshire Section 8 programs. In New Hampshire these programs include:

• Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program
• Public housing and senior public housing

Through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program you are eligible for rent assistance. This program requires you to find your own housing from a private party that participates in the HCV program. You are then provided with a subsidy, paid to your landlord, that ensures you will pay no more than 30 percent of your household’s adjusted gross income toward rent expenses including utilities. For the Housing Choice Voucher program you will be required to get on a waitlist:

• The current wait time for a HCV waitlist in New Hampshire is seven to nine years.

If your household is homeless, concerned with losing your home, or involuntarily displaced you may be eligible for public housing. There are public housing units for families, as well as senior public housing for the elderly. To qualify for public housing you must meet low-income and HUD requirements. Once approved for public housing you will be given a home to live in. Your benefits are in good standing unless you move out of the unit. For project-based housing you will receive priority if your household includes someone who is disabled or elderly.

To get started with New Hampshire Section 8 services you must apply to a waitlist at a public housing authority.

Who can Qualify for Section 8?

Your household income must not exceed the low-income limit so to be eligible for Section 8 project-based housing or the Housing Choice Voucher program. Determine your family income using the limits summary for New Hampshire. If you qualify based on your income, then you may qualify for services if you meet the following requirements:

• You are over 18 when applying for Section 8 for your household.
• You and the rest of your household are US citizens or naturalized permanent residents.
• You do not have a negative rental history.
• You can pass a criminal background check, as must the rest of the adults in your household.
• You are a resident of New Hampshire.

If you meet these requirements you are eligible to apply for Section 8 services in New Hampshire.

How to Apply

When you apply for New Hampshire Section 8 the first step is to pre-apply to a waitlist. You will need to contact your local public housing authority to put your name on the list. At this point, you are submitting a basic application.

You can find out the current open waitlists for the state here:

• Public housing authorities waitlists
• Housing Choice Voucher Section 8 waitlists

As previously noted, the waitlists for the HCV program are long, and it can take years before your name is called up. Emergency housing via the public housing program must be provided to you if you meet the HUD requirements regarding being homeless, involuntarily displaced, elderly, or disabled.

After your name is selected from a waitlist you will be contacted by your local public. Now you will have to submit a detailed application for New Hampshire Section 8. This will include a criminal background check, as well as a possible interview with your household members to verify everyone’s identity. Make sure to provide all requested information for your PHA agent so to ensure your application will be processed.

For households that are selected for the Housing Choice Voucher program, look for Section 8 housing that is affordable and up to HUD standards for health and safety. Households that are granted public housing will be given an address to the apartment complex where they will reside via Section 8 assistance. You will also receive paperwork explaining in greater detail your rights and responsibilities as a Section 8 renter.

To learn more about the New Hampshire Section 8 programs and waitlists for HCV services, contact your local PHA office or the HUD Manchester Field Office.