If any one has any crime history, looking for a house is extremely difficult or nearly impossible. However, the house owner would often do much research before making a Felon his or her tenant. Convicted felons can get public housing through HUD (Housing And Urban Development) like the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which is also known as section 8.
Public Housing Through HUD (Housing And Urban Development) 2024
Once a felon is released from prison, his opportunities of getting good jobs or pursuing a good career get limited. Such a felon feels the existence of a social boundary around him that separates him from normal people.
Section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937, often called section 8. The Housing Choice Voucher program provides tenant- based rental assistance, so that a tenant can move from one unit of at least minimum housing quality to another. However, landlords are not expected to participate in the voucher program. Most states do not allow landlords to discriminate based on the law.
The amount of the voucher depends on the city or country, size and other factors.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program is majorly the federal government’s program for assisting the low income families, disabled and elderly.
The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program. Housing Choice Vouchers are given locally by public housing agencies (PHA). They receive funds from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program.
Obtain an application for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. Applications for the Housing Choice Voucher program are entirely free, and depending on the PHA, will be available online, by mail or at the local housing authority’s office.
If A Felon Can Live In A Public Housing
A convicted Felon can live in public housing, if only they meet up to the necessary requirements for application. Applicants must be 18 years and also a citizen or non citizen, and there must also be a background check. In case if you’re a US citizen, you must have valid immigration eligibility.
The only reason whereby a felon would be rejected, is in a case relating to rape, drug trafficking.
The U.S department of housing and urban development is well conducive and really organized for convicted felons, depending on their criminal history.
There are still major reasons a landlord can reject a Felon as a tenant. Excluding the criminal history, other reasons are as follows;
- Race (color)
- Religion
- Gender
- Disability
- Origin
While the landlord is still making a decision of whether to rent the house to a convicted felon, HUD breaks the rule of discrimination into two types.
- International Discrimination
- Unintentional Discrimination
The intentional discrimination simply means being totally unfair, either because of gender, religion, disability or for just no specific reason. When a landlord’s rental decisions are not consistent, especially when refusing potential tenants from any of the protections detailed in the Fair Housing Act, it can be considered a case of intentional discrimination. In this way, a refusal to rent because of a past felony charge can be shown to be because of a discriminatory reason instead.
The unintentional discrimination helps to insure that the landlord isn’t unfairly discriminating against any felon due to their criminal history. HUD uses a three-step process to help determine if a landlord has unintentionally discriminated against a potential tenant. The process is:
- Does the policy have a discriminatory effect?
- Is the policy necessary to achieve a legitimate nondiscriminatory interest?
- Is there a less discriminatory alternative?
Necessary Requirement For Section 8
- Know your rights, as well as knowing the law.
Knowing the law and rights is also very important for a felon based on HUD.
It is unlawful and illegal for a landlord to deny you housing based on your criminal history, although depending on how severe your case is. Know your right and law, you can confront any form of discrimination. If you also feel that the landlord has denied you on housing findings, kindly contact HUD, they can easily help you to get another well-equipped public housing.
- Do research online
Go on different sites and do research. Look within your price point, and finish the application before meeting any landlord. There are so many sites that are specifically on Felon-friendly houses.
- Birth certificate
This allows them to know your actual year of birth and where you were born.
- Bank statements
This also enables them to go through your past bank records, to check for any trace of illegal transactions. This is because when it comes to financial perspectives, the HUD wants to judge the financial condition and stability of each applicant before granting his application. To make that possible, the organization has made it mandatory to submit tax forms, bank statements along with the application. The organization also looks into the recent credit score of the applicant to determine his eligibility for getting a public housing rental.
- Phone numbers
Phone numbers are also important, incase of communications also sms. This is just a means for reaching out to you about your application for section 8.
Try to be honest and straightforward when convincing the authorities while applying. Don’t create a bad impression of yourself by hiding your criminal history from them. Make sure you disclose all important information about yourself while applying.
After you complete the application procedure, you will have to go through a personal interview process with the public housing authority.
Also read: Background Checks On Felons
Factors That Could Disqualify You From Applying For Section 8
- Registration on sex offender registry.
You can’t get help from section 8, If you have a crime record that requires you to register with a long life status as a sex offender.
- Production or dealing with methamphetamine in a government subsidized building.
You can’t get help from section 8, if you have any crime history on any hard or synthetic drugs. With this, you are automatically disqualified from getting any assistance.
Note: Even if any of your family members has been an ex-felon, your family won’t be eligible for applying for the scheme.
Therefore, if you fall under any of these mentioned categories, you may want to look for another way out.
Although, there are many other reasons why you might be disqualified from getting help from section 8.
- Fraudulent act
- Drug trafficking
- Violent crime
- Bullying
Note: you can start the process of rental, if you do not have any of the above mentioned crime records.
Can A Felon Stay With Someone That’s On Section 8
Here, you’ll see if a Felon can live with someone on section 8. If someone already lives in a section 8 apartment, and an ex-convict or a felon wants to live with them, the current occupant of the house is expected to report the situation to the local PHA. PHA will determine whether an ex-convict is allowed to live with a section 8 occupant, based on his criminal record.
Depending on the crime history of the felon, the person may be refused from staying with you. Guidelines must be followed appropriately. If not, you will be committing fraud.
There are also strict guidelines you must follow, to have an unauthorized guest, if anyone who is an ex-convict wants to visit or stay at your place for a few days.
Firstly, you must be permitted by local PHA and your landlord.
Can One Get Section 8 Without A Job
So many felons find it difficult to get any legal employment and always have no money on them. The section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program can still be of help in a particular situation. You can still qualify if you make less than the listed income limit for that area. Which simply means that you are eligible for a section 8.
Having a zero(0) income qualifies under the rule, because the HUD rule states that your income must be less than 50% of the median income.
Moreover, one has to confirm income qualification with the housing authority that you are interested in applying through as most affordable housing offices set their own income limits.
Getting Faster Attention
There are criteria’s that will push your application to the top. Meaning that, you wouldn’t have to wait for a long time of approval.
You may get quicker attention if;
- You are a local resident
- You have a severe medical issue : Felon applicants with serious medical conditions also get public housing rentals in an easier way than other felons. If a diagnosis reveals that one of his family members has a critical disease, the applicant gets the same facility. The HDU mentions medical emergencies as a priority.
- You are facing any sort of domestic violence
- You were being evicted previously, and it wasn’t any fault of yours
- You live out on a cold street: millions of felons stay in streets or parks. The main aim of the scheme is to offer support to those homeless felons. That’s why the Public Housing Program gives priority to such applicants.
Duration Of Application Process
If you are in a large city within the U.S, section 8 can take as long as 2 – 4 years. While in a small city, it can take as long as 6 – 12 months.
If you are part of those getting quicker attention, it’s best you check every 3 months, just to make sure the process is moving fast.
It is also advisable to move to a less competitive area, that’s a small city, if the wait time is taking too long.
Applying for section 8 in a less competitive location, may reduce your wait duration. Although, moving to a less competitive or small area might not be easy as it may be, depending on your job and family.
Endeavor to follow all instructions when submitting the application to ensure it will be processed correctly and efficiently.
Find out Waiting List status. After the housing office processes the application, individuals and families will either be rejected or placed on a waiting list. Even if applicants are eligible, applications can be rejected because of high demand or because they weren’t chosen in a random lottery; the PHA must provide reasoning, however, and applicants can request an informal review.
Conclusion
The scheme is a friendly and fair option for all those ex-felons who have reformed mentally. Having a history of a felony doesn’t mean that your life will not be the same anymore. The efficient program of the US government shows the light of hope to millions of ex-offenders every year who want to get back to normal life.
Felons also have the human rights to live happily in the world, and this project of the US government makes that possible. Besides supporting felons, the project is a great helping hand for the families of the felons who are homeless due to the crime of their family members. If you’re a felon who wants to forget your past and start a new life, this scheme is the best option for you.
Making a fresh start may seem difficult however it is not possible. Being eligible for housing is one of the biggest steps towards a new life. Felons were not given this opportunity in the past and that is what makes it unique. It is time to take responsibility for your actions and move forward with your family.
Apply for a rental house under the government scheme to start your new journey towards a better and honest tomorrow.
I’m Cli, also known as Castro. An author of felhus.com
I’ve got great passion for felons and wanna see them live absolutely normal again.