About HCV Program
The Section 8 Program is a rental assistance program that assists very low-income families with their rent in the private market. The voucher program increases affordable housing choices for very low-income households by allowing families to choose privately owned rental housing. The family may choose a unit with a higher rent than the fair market rent (FMR), however, the rent must be reasonable.
The rules and regulations of the housing choice voucher program (HCV) are determined by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
CRHA will issue a voucher to an income-qualified household, which allows the family to search for their choice of housing. The voucher is good for 60 days from the date of issue. The family may also request an extension if they are not able to find housing by their deadline date. All requests for extensions must be submitted in writing with supporting documentation of the reason for the request. The maximum number of days on the voucher is 120 days. After that time the voucher will expire, unless the request is for a reasonable accommodation. The voucher is portable, which allows the family to locate housing outside the boundaries of CRHA. All new applicants must reside in the City of Chesapeake at the time the initial application is placed in order to utilize portability when the voucher is initially issued. Otherwise, the new applicant will have to reside in Chesapeake for one year.
The voucher will indicate the number of bedrooms for which your family is eligible. The unit size is based on HUD guidelines. The family does have the option of renting a larger bedroom size that what is issued on the voucher, provided the rent is reasonable and affordable (does not exceed 40% of monthly adjusted income at initial leasing).
The family must be income eligible for the program as defined by HUD. The income limits for the household must not exceed the very low-income limit (50 percent of the area median income) and up to 80 percent area income median for households already assisted under the Housing Act of 1937.
CRHA HCV Administrative Plan 2022
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