Expanding Opportunities

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

Section 8 is the largest housing subsidy program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), serving approximately 1.5 million families nationwide.

The Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) has been providing housing assistance to Oakland residents since 1938. For over 20 years, the Section 8 program has helped lower-income, elderly and disabled families secure housing from property owners in the private market. Currently, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program helps approximately 10,000 Oakland families pay their rent each month.

Housing Choice Vouchers are federally funded rental subsidies administered by a local Public Housing Authority (PHA). The Voucher entitles the tenant to subsidized rent payments. Unlike public housing, where the assistance is attached to the housing unit, Section 8 transfers with the tenant when they move. Section 8 tenants can move locally or they can use their rental assistance elsewhere in the state or country.

The Voucher program is a public-private partnership designed to offer participating families greater opportunities in their lives. But the program also offers many benefits for property owners - including market rents and reliable assistance payments from OHA.

The Section 8 program currently returns nearly $101 million dollars per year to the community in the form of rental assistance payments to property owners.