MIAMI.- In the midst of the affordable housing crisis in South Florida, after two years of waiting, Esteban Bovo, mayor of Hialeah, announced the start of the rental assistance voucher program for low-income families, retirees and the disabled, popularly known as Section 8.
“Today, we want to announce that starting April 22 at 8:30 am until April 29 at 11:59 pm, Hialeah will receive applications to participate in the rental assistance voucher program for people in need,” said Mayor Bovo, this Wednesday, April 10, at a press conference, in front of the headquarters of the City Housing Authority.
During the last week of April, needy residents of Hialeah will be able to submit their application to participate in the drawing that will choose one thousand winners, who will join a waiting list to receive rental assistance vouchers. Vouchers will be assigned to wait-listed drawing winners as federal funds become available, explained Julio Ponce, director of the city’s Housing Authority (HHA).
In order to participate in the drawing, interested parties must meet the eligibility criteria established by the HHA. They must be citizens or legal residents and their income cannot exceed 50 percent of the area median income. That is, a single person will not be able to earn more than $39,750 per year; two people $45,400; a family unit of three people $51,050; and four people $56,750.
According to Ponce, elderly and disabled applicants will receive preference points, as well as those homeless and displaced by a natural disaster.
All requests can only be made through the official HHA website at https://hialeahhousing.housingmanager.com. People who do not have internet access can complete their application at the John F. Kennedy Library located at 190 W 49 Street, Hialeah, on April 22 and 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Ponce said.
When applying to the JF Kennedy Library, you will need to provide your full name, social security number, date of birth, and income information.
To avoid being disqualified, you should only submit one application per family unit, “all duplicate applications will be rejected,” Ponce warned. Additionally, those who make false statements about their income will be removed from the waiting list.
The entire process is free, there are unscrupulous people who take advantage of those in need to profit and commit fraud, warned the president of HHA.
The advantage of participating in this federal program is that those chosen will only pay one-third of their adjusted monthly income for rent. The rest will be paid by the voucher program.
According to the standard payment schedule set by HHA for 2024, the voucher program will pay up to $1,767 per month for an efficiency, up to $1,978 for a one-bedroom apartment, up to $2,440 for two bedrooms, up to $3,178 for three bedrooms and up to $3,768 per month for four bedrooms.
Homeowners interested in working with Hialeah Plan Eight only need to access the HHA website to learn the details of the process they must follow.
2021 was the last time Hialeah launched the Section 8 program.
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