Section 8 Program

Rental Assistance

What Is Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Rental Assistance?
With the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, the City of Glendale Community Housing Division (CHD) provides housing assistance to eligible, very low-income individuals and families.
The program allows you to rent decent, safe and sanitary housing in the private market. You are free to choose any housing that meets program requirements and in which the landlord is willing to participate in the program.

Once eligibility is determined and a voucher has been assigned, it is your responsibility to find a suitable apartment or house. CHD will determine if the rent is within the amount allowed by HUD. You will then sign a lease with the landlord. The landlord will sign a contract with CHD. CHD will pay to the landlord the portion of the rent allowed under program policy (CHD will determine this amount). You will pay no more than 30 percent of your adjusted gross income toward rent and utilities. CHD will inspect it to be sure it is decent, safe and sanitary. No payments to the landlord will be made before the unit passes inspection.

Program Description
The city of Glendale (CHD) provides rent subsidy to eligible, very low-income individuals and families through the Section 8 Assistance Program. This program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The program is designed to provide subsidized individuals and families with the same rental housing choices as non-subsidized renters. Once an individual or family receives voucher assistance, they will have 60 days to select suitable housing that meets their particular needs.
After a voucher holder locates a suitable apartment or house, CHD will inspect it to be sure it is decent, safe and sanitary. They will also determine if the rent is within the amount allowed by HUD. The individual or family will then sign a lease with the landlord. The landlord will sign a contract with CHD. CHD will pay to the landlord-subsidized portion of the rent that the voucher holder is unable to afford.

Who’s eligible?
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program is limited to eligible, very low-income individuals and families. CHD will determine your eligibility based on:

1. Annual gross income
2. Whether you qualify as elderly, a person with a disability or as a family
3. U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status
4. Documentation of social security numbers for all family members
5. Your signing of consent authorization documents.

In addition to the eligibility criteria, families also must meet our criminal background screening criteria in order to be admitted to public housing. If you meet these initial requirements, CHD will check your references and do a criminal background check. There also are certain criteria, or preferences, that must be met.

Income Limits
Individuals or families whose income does not exceed the maximum annual gross income limits set by HUD are eligible for assistance.

The income limits are:

Very low income (Section 8)
family size (# of persons):

• 1 - $22,450
• 2 - $25,700
• 3 - $28,900
• 4 - $32,100
• 5 - $34,650
• 6 - $37,250
• 7 - $39,800
• 8 - $42,350 

Preferences
HUD and the city of Glendale have established preferences. Preferences are given to the following:

• Glendale residents
• Persons working or hired to work within the city limits of Glendale.
• Applicants 62 years or older, or receiving Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Disability or any payments based on inability to work, will be given benefit of the working preference. For purposes of qualifying for low-income housing, any family member who is disabled will qualify the family under this category.
• Glendale residents displaced by government action or disaster
• Applicants who are active military personnel will be given 10 points for the working preference.
• Applicants who are domestic violence victims or displaced homemakers will be given 10 points for their working preference.

To Obtain Assistance
Individuals and families must complete an application before eligibility can be determined. Applications are accepted periodically throughout the year. How often the CHD accepts applications depends on how many vouchers are available, and how many applicants are on the waiting list. To find out whether or not applications are being accepted, call (623) 930-2180. After making your language choice, English or Spanish, option 3 will forward you to application information.

The screening process includes, but is not limited to:

• Past or current landlord references
• Credit references
• Criminal background checks
• Fingerprint checks
• Household income verifications
• Citizenship verifications

Waiting Lists
Individuals and families are placed on the waiting list according to the preferences they claim and the time and date of the application. The time a family must wait for assistance depends on the number of people ahead of them on the waiting list and the amount of available federal funding. A family's time on the waiting list may be longer or shorter depending on circumstances beyond the CHD's control.

Responsibilities for Section 8
The Section 8 Housing Program is a three-way partnership among the CHD, the family, and the landlord of the housing unit. In order to make it a successful partnership, each has the following obligations:

• Community Housing Division
  • Explain the rules of the program to landlords and families who are eligible for the program
  • Inspect the house or apartment for program compliance
  • Issue housing assistance payments to the landlord
  • Monitor landlords and families to ensure compliance with the program rules
  • Answer any questions that may arise
• Tenant
  • Provide complete and accurate information
  • Cooperate with all program requirements
  • Take responsibility for the care of the home
  • Comply with the tenant obligations of the housing program
• Landlord
  • Screen families for past rental and behavioral history
  • Comply with all fair housing laws
  • Comply with all non-discrimination laws
  • Maintain the home by making necessary repairs in a timely manner
  • Comply with the terms of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract
  • Collect the family's portion of the rent and enforce the lease

Becoming A Section 8 Landlord: The process is simple.

1. Become familiar with your responsibilities under the program.

They’re listed in our Section 8 Landlord/Owner Handbook, which is available through our office by calling (623) 930-2180. You also can come to the office at 6842 N. 61st Ave. to pick one up. We make sure that all prospective clients and landlords receive both the Participant Handbook and the Landlord/Owner Handbook in order to best understand all aspects of the program. The Handbook gives information about how to rent through the Section 8 program, the lease, entering into a program contract (known as the Housing Assistance Payment Contract or HAP Contract), inspections and rental payments, which are just a few of the topics discussed. We also recommend reviewing the Section 8 Participant Handbook to understand the responsibilities and rights of your Section 8 tenant.

2. List your unit(s) with CHD administrative office.

Call us at (623) 930-2180 for rental information, or click here to get the Landlord For Rent Form online. You can fax the completed form to the CHD administrative office at (623) 930-1064.

3. Once received, your unit will be placed on a rental unit listing available at our administrative office to program participants.

You also can call (623) 930-2180 to have a copy mailed to you.

Click here for information outlining Landlord Compliance with the Violence Against Women Protection Act