Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8)

The Housing Choice Voucher program, often called Section 8 after the part of the 1974 housing law that created its forerunner, helps low-income families, older adults, and people with disabilities rent homes from private landlords. About 2,100 local public housing agencies run it with money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Families generally pay about 30 percent of their income toward rent and utilities, and the voucher covers the rest up to a local payment standard.

About 2.3 million households use vouchers. Most families must earn less than half the area median income, and most new vouchers go to those earning less than 30 percent. Because Congress funds a fixed number of vouchers each year rather than everyone who qualifies, only about one in four eligible households gets any federal rental help, and waiting lists in many cities are years long or closed. Landlords in many areas may refuse voucher holders, though some states and cities ban that.

In March 2026 HUD proposed a rule letting local agencies impose work requirements of up to 40 hours a week and time limits of at least two years on non-elderly, non-disabled households, with exemptions for veterans' vouchers and some others. Supporters say limits would encourage work and free up aid for families on waiting lists. Critics say most able-bodied recipients already work, and that time limits would push families into homelessness in expensive markets. Budget fights over the number of vouchers continue each year.