Arkansas Housing Vouchers

*Arkansas Housing Vouchers * Public Housing*

*Making Home Affordable*

Section 8 Arkansas Housing Vouchers

Arkansas Housing Vouchers are provided to local residents that apply and qualify for Section 8 Housing.

The Section 8 Housing Program is federally funded housing assistance designed to help extremely low and very low-income individuals, families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. Section 8 Housing provides the qualifying low-income population with affordable, decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market where the program is available. Learn more about Section 8 Housing Programs.

Section 8 Housing for Arkansas is administered by HUD through local Public Housing Agencies (PHA). The program helps Arkansas eligible individuals and families broaden their housing options in the private rental market. Find more about Section 8 Housing Programs and Housing Choice Vouchers.

Section 8 Arkansas  Housing Voucher Program offers Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) vouchers for low-income Arkansas community residents. This program provides TBRA vouchers for more than 23 thousand housing units across the state.

Normally, there is a waiting list and the applications for the Section 8 Arkansas Housing Vouchers are taken periodically at a time determined by the local Public Housing Authority. The open period for taking Section 8 applications is usually advertised in the local newspaper two weeks before starting acceptance of applications, and all related social service agencies are notified.

When the waiting list is open, completed applications are accepted from all applicants. The Housing Authority will then verify the information in each application relevant to the applicant’s eligibility, admission, and benefits level.

Eligible Section 8 applicants for Arkansas Housing Vouchers can select housing within a neighborhood of their choice from a property owner willing to participate in the Section 8 program. TBRA contracts must have a minimum lease of one year and cannot exceed two years – but they can be renewed. Choices of housing units may include the family’s present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety as determined by the local Housing Authority. The rents in HOME-assisted units must be affordable to low-income families and remain affordable for a designated amount of time.

Section 8 Program allows families to pay a predetermined share of their income toward the rent while issued Housing Choice Vouchers make up the difference. The program does not pay for security deposits and moving expenses. The tenant is responsible for paying for any utilities not included in the rent according to the lease.

Income eligibility limits and benefit levels are based on local median income and local housing costs but are set largely at the federal level with limited local discretion. Income requirements are generally set as less than 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) but can be up to 80% in some cases. By law, seventy-five percent of the newly issued vouchers must go to families with incomes below 30% of the Area Median Income.

Current recipients maintain vouchers until their income reaches a level at which the value of their housing subsidy is reduced to $0.00 – all housing subsidies are calculated based on family income, housing costs, and other factors.

For specifics on eligibility for each Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, please, check with your local Arkansas Public Housing Authority.

 

Arkansas Project-Based Rental Assistance

The Arkansas Public Housing Authority promotes affordable housing opportunities through Project-Based Rental Assistance. Project Based Rental Assistance involves over 8,000 units throughout the state of Arkansas. The rental assistance pays part of the rent to qualified tenants for a specific building designated as Section 8 and subsidized by the Federal Government with the main purpose to provide affordable housing for low-income families.  Applications are accepted, and waiting lists are maintained at each housing site.The populations served are households that are extremely low income with income up to 50% of the Area Median Income. HUD establishes and publishes the income parameters annually.

 

 Arkansas Housing Counseling Services

Contact one of the HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agencies in Arkansas State for the following education workshops or counseling services

  • Mortgage Delinquency and Default Resolution Counseling
  • Fair Housing Pre-Purchase Education Workshops
  • Financial Management/Budget Counseling
  • Financial, Budgeting and Credit Repair Workshops
  • Home Improvement and Rehabilitation Counseling
  • Non-Delinquency Post Purchase Workshops
  • Pre-purchase Counseling
  • Pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops
  • Predatory Lending Education Workshops
  • Rental Housing Counseling
  • Services for Homeless Counseling
  • Home Improvement and Rehabilitation Counseling
  • Reverse Mortgage Counseling

Public Housing | Homeless | Making Home Affordable

Arkansas Low-Rent Apartments

Find more and search for Arkansas subsidized and low-rent apartments here.