Berlin Housing Authority in NH

The most common HA program is Section 8. There is a long waiting list for this program. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of people that have applied for the vouchers of Section 8 has skyrocketed, hence there are a lot of application delays. As of right now, the housing authority waiting list is 1 year and a half. The public housing authority programs favors specific groups of people or families that fit certain profiles. Priority is given to veterans, to the elderly, to the people that are exiting domestic violence.

Public housing is a program that has more than 900000 units across all USA. They are rarer in rural areas. These units are more often in poor areas and racially segregated communities. The service is to prevent homelessness, in one way or another. The HA gives rental vouchers that cover some part of the rent, and the tenants are responsible for covering a small part of the rent. That part depends on the agreement and the situation of the tenant. The HA program is designed to help people that are struggling to get a roof on their heads. The HA can be managed by the state, and by local agencies.

The most popular program for public housing assistance is Section 8. There are many steps to apply for this type of assistance, but first and foremost you need to make sure that your landlord accepts payments in the form of vouchers provided by the housing authority. To apply for Section 8, you need proof that you have a low income, which comes in the form of job checks or tax returns, you need a state ID, you need to show your USA citizenship, you need to have a clean record, which means no felonies or drug use. The last part of the application is the special situations, which can either significantly put you at the bottom of the waiting list or can push you to the top. The idea is simple: the more drastic your situation, the earlier you will get the help.

This means that being homeless, having a disability, having an income that is on the 50% or below the local average income, living in a shelter, being a veteran, being part of the elderly, and exiting domestic abuse, will push you on top, as these are categories that need immediate assistance. You can also bypass the waiting list by reaching out directly to the housing authorities. You can also use the help of a social worker, who can assist you in navigating the application faster and can direct you to a new opportunity.

Section 8 is a great program to offer rental assistance. The voucher of Section 8 covers 30-40% of the rent cost, which also includes utilities. To qualify for section 8 vouchers, you need to prove to the housing authorities that minimally your income is 80% of the local median income. You also need to show American citizenship to all the people in your household. With immigrants, there are extra documents to submit, such as naturalization documents or I-94 stamps. You also need to show your past landlord history, hence if you have an eviction record, you will be disqualified.

The housing authority does detailed research to make sure that the people that are helped with rental assistance will get better and will make use of the help. This means that background checks are an important part of the work. The housing authority will disregard any applicant that has a criminal background. The housing authority will deny any applicant that is a sex offender or has records of drug use. The other detail is that if you have had a previous housing authority assistant and you got evicted, that is a big no, and your application will be rejected.

Regarding the use of the drug, there is a way around that and is the fact that you show that you have completed a drug treatment program. Even if you have a criminal background, each case is special, and you are given a chance to say your plea and to explain the circumstances. Also, felonies older than 5 years are not considered part of the application.