NEWS FOR SECTION 8 HOLDERS

(Article published in HWW February 2010)

by Robert Desir, Staff Attorney, the Legal Aid Society

On December 17, 2009, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced that it would only accept Section 8, also known as “Housing Assistance Payment Contracts,” that were submitted before December 10, 2009. NYCHA later sent a letter to Section 8 voucher holders informing them NYCHA would not accept their rental packages or provide Section 8 assistance until further notice. If you are one of the over 2,500 families that were issued Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers that did not yet expire and you have yet to submit a rental package, this affects you. At present, you will not be able to use your Housing Choice Voucher as NYCHA will not accept a rental package or move forward with the leasing process. But if you already have Section 8 from another apartment or the apartment you are living in now and are trying to transfer it to another apartment, your voucher will not be affected.

The Legal Aid Society started a lawsuit on behalf of Section 8 voucher holders to challenge NYCHA’s compliance with the law in taking this action. This case is currently pending. The court has not yet issued any decisions. In the meantime, if you have a Housing Choice Voucher that has yet to expire, you should have received a letter from NYCHA. Voucher holders will receive priority to have their voucher restored based on the date their application was certified, should Section 8 funding become available. If you are a voucher holder who did not receive a letter, you should immediately contact your local NYCHA Leased Housing Department to verify your status. If you are an applicant who did not receive a voucher, you will remain on the waiting list. In all cases, you should let NYCHA know about any changes in your address or contact information. If you are living in your own apartment, you can also contact the HomeBase office for your community to ask for help by calling 311.