{"id":"hud-housing-choice-voucher","name":"HUD Housing Choice Voucher","provider":"U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development","entitlement_type":"government-benefit","entitlement_type_label":"Government benefit","entitlement_type_context":{"definition":"A government-funded or administered benefit, service, coverage program, assistance program, or public access route.","domain":"public-benefits","archetype":"direct-program","agent_instruction":"Identify the administering jurisdiction and disclose income, household, age, disability, immigration, residence, renewal, fee, and capacity rules that apply."},"summary":"The Housing Choice Voucher program, also called Section 8, helps eligible low-income households rent qualifying privately owned homes, with local public housing agencies paying part of the rent directly to landlords.","benefit":{"description":"A locally administered rental subsidy that covers part of the approved rent and utilities for an eligible home in the private market.","estimated_value_usd":null},"discovery":{"focus":"public-service","has_estimated_dollar_value":false},"access":{"relationships":["Household eligible for a local Housing Choice Voucher program"],"requirements":"Eligibility is determined by a local public housing agency using household income and size, citizenship or eligible-immigration rules, Social Security number and documentation requirements, and other federal and local screening rules. Waiting lists are common and can be closed or lengthy.","activation":"Use HUD's public housing agency directory, identify agencies with open voucher waitlists, apply directly to one or more agencies, keep contact information current, and complete the agency's verification and briefing process if selected.","cost_basis":"varies","cost_basis_label":"Variable by provider or eligibility","cost_basis_context":{"classification":"variable","definition":"The user's out-of-pocket cost cannot be represented by one fixed amount because it depends on provider policy, income, household, geography, selected service, coverage group, subsidy amount, or the underlying program. It may be free, reduced, sliding-scale, or partly paid.","agent_instruction":"Read and disclose the record's fees and requirements; use the most precise bounded price or variation reason available instead of repeating only that cost varies.","variation_patterns":["bounded price range","provider-set price","income-based sliding scale","coverage or service-dependent cost sharing","partial subsidy","directory of programs with different terms"],"does_not_mean":["universally free","cost information was necessarily omitted"]},"fees":"There is no fee to apply. The voucher is a subsidy rather than free housing; participants usually pay an income-based rent share and can owe deposits, utilities, application costs, or rent above the agency payment standard.","personalized":false,"regions":["US","Local public housing agency service areas"],"expires":null},"status":"verified","last_checked":"2026-08-04","claim_url":"https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/housing-choice-vouchers-tenants","source_url":"https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/housing-choice-vouchers-tenants","source":{"primary_url":"https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/housing-choice-vouchers-tenants","evidence":[{"source":"U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development","url":"https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/housing-choice-vouchers-tenants","kind":"provider","checked_at":"2026-08-04"}]},"parent":null,"coverage":{"level":"national","family":"housing-and-disaster","jurisdiction":"United States","maturity":"direct"},"web_url":"/benefits/hud-housing-choice-voucher","taxonomy":{"version":"1.0","url":"/api/v1/taxonomy"}}