Gather Information

• You can find the public housing agency, or PHA, that operates Section 8, public housing and other HUD programs in your area by searching HUD's website (see Resource). While HUD oversees each initiative, local housing offices manage the day-to-day operations. Your PHA can let you know what opportunities it has available in your area and whether you qualify to take advantage of them. If you do, a PHA representative can guide you through the appropriate application protocols.
  
  

Apply

• Generally, your PHA will have you fill out a pre-application, particularly for Section 8 and public housing benefits. This application gives the PHA a general sense of where you stand and which programs you qualify for. You may be eligible for one program but not another. For example, Section 8 accepts renters with household incomes at or below 50 percent of their area's median income. HUD raises the public housing threshold higher, to 80 percent of an area's median. Submission of a pre-application does not constitute a guarantee of subsidized housing benefits.
  
  

Wait

• In most areas, completing a pre-application gets you on your PHA's waiting list. You can choose to have the PHA place you on one waiting list, although HUD permits simultaneous placement on both Section 8 and public housing lists. By getting on both lists at the same time, you may speed up the time it takes to receive some type of subsidized housing. You can turn down an offer for housing, but you will need to reapply and start at the bottom of the list for the program whose offer you refused.
  
  

Confirm Eligibility

• When your name reaches the top of a HUD subsidized housing waiting list, you'll receive a call from your PHA. At this juncture, the PHA confirms the information you submitted with your pre-application. Your PHA will ask you to submit items such as paycheck stubs and tax returns to verify income, and birth certificates and Social Security numbers to confirm household composition. If you still qualify for the program, you can proceed to the next step, which involves finding an actual unit.