The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program (formerly known as Section 8) is a federally-funded, locally-administered rental assistance program that helps lower-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities afford safe, decent housing in the private market. Participants may choose any housing type that suits the needs of their family, as long as the requirements of the program are met.
Housing Connect receives funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the HCV Program in Salt Lake County.
You must be in good standing with your current landlord. Families participating in the Voucher Program will not be allowed to move more than once in any 12-month period. We cannot issue a voucher and move packet if you owe money to Housing Connect or are currently under eviction for serious violations of the lease. If you meet these conditions, you must speak with your Housing Specialist and obtain a 30 Day Notice to Vacate form that your landlord has to sign. Once the 30 Day Notice to Vacate is filled out, you must schedule an appointment with your Housing Specialist to get a move voucher and move packet. Remember: Do NOT move without informing your caseworker. PORTABILITY An eligible household that has been issued a Housing Choice Voucher may use that voucher to lease a unit anywhere in the United States where there is a housing agency operating a HCV program. This feature of the program is referred to as “portability.”
You should notify Housing Connect and send us a copy of the owner eviction notice. Housing Connect is not your landlord and we do not mediate tenant landlord disputes. You should do everything in your power to rectify the situation and possibly seek legal advice. It is important for you to understand the terms of your lease in order to avoid violating the contract. Housing Connect is required to terminate assistance if you receive a legal eviction order because of a serious lease violation (nonpayment of rent, disturbance of neighbors, criminal activity, destruction of property, etc,). A family is considered evicted if a legal eviction order has been issued even if enforcement of the order was not necessary and you have moved from the unit.
Decreases of income must be received by the 25th of the month to process for the next month’s rent.
Changes are not accepted by phone.
The unit size on your voucher is the size that Housing Connect will subsidize. It is based on household size, and set at two people per bedroom, including all approved household members.
| Number of Household Members 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 | Number of Bedrooms 1-bedroom 2-bedroom 3-bedroom 4-bedroom 5-bedroom 6-bedroom |
You may live in a bigger unit if it is affordable, but the subsidy is still based on the unit size on the voucher. The subsidy is based on the actual unit size only when it’s smaller than the size on the voucher.
In addition to updating Housing Connect with changes as they occur throughout the year, families must complete a recertification of income and family composition annually. The purpose of the annual recertification is to ensure that assisted families are still eligible to continue the HCV program, to recalculate the family’s and Housing Connect’s payments for the unit, and to determine if the unit continues to meet Housing Quality Standards. Annual Recertification
Housing Connect will mail you a notice of recertification with a recertification packet 90 to 120 days prior to the family’s recertification date. The packet will include forms that are required for Housing Connect to process the recertification, as well as instructions on how to complete the packet. The packet must be completed by all parties indicated in the instructions and mailed back, or brought in to Housing Connect by the due date noted in the notice of recertification. It is important that you return the packet and all required documents by this due date as failure to comply will result in termination from the program. Once the recertification packet has been reviewed and the information provided is verified, your portion of the rent and the amount of rental assistance Housing Connect will provide will be recalculated and you be sent a rent adjustment letter.
The rent amount paid by most Housing Choice Voucher participants is between 30-40% of their monthly income. Housing Connect determines a participant’s income in compliance with regulations at 24 CFR Part 5. Income from all sources is included, unless specifically excluded by program regulations. Income is any amount—monetary or not—that go to or are received on behalf of the family head or spouse or to any other family member, or all amounts anticipated to be received from a source outside the family.
Apartments and homes leased under the Housing Choice Voucher program must meet HUD’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS) and are physically inspected on an annual or bi-annual basis by Housing Connect to ensure that they are being kept in safe and decent condition. If you have additional questions about home inspections, please contact Housing Connect’s Inspection Team at 801-284-4427.
