There are four factors that affect the outcome of your HUD application. According to the guidebook, the factors are family eligibility, income limits, student status, and citizenship status.
1. Family Eligibility
Each applicant must meet the HUD’s definition of a family. This can be a single person living alone or a group of people with or without children.
But to receive aid, a single person may be elderly, displaced, disabled, or just a person. And any children in the foster care system must also be included in the final count of those in the family to determine the makeup and size. Family eligibility is open to all groups, races, genders, and identities so it’s unlikely this is what denied your application.
2. Income Limits
When you submit your Section 8 housing application, you have to fall under one of two categories: low income or very low income and be affected in another way. Low income is classified as 50% of the area median. Very low income, on the other hand, is 80% of the area median in addition to already being assisted by a public housing voucher, displaced by making mortgage payments, or a standard set by the Public Housing Agency.
You’ll need to meet a certain income level based on the number of people in your family in order to be eligible for assistance.
3. Student Status
If you are an adult and a student at a higher education institution, there are specific criteria that you have to meet in order to be approved for HUD housing. Aside from qualifying financially, you would need to meet at least one of the requirements. Here are a few examples of those criteria:
- You’re 24 or older
- You’re a veteran
- You’re married
- You have a dependent child
- You’re a person with disabilities
- You were an orphan or in foster care
- You were considered a homeless youth
4. Citizenship Status
All applicants are required to be either U.S. citizens or be noncitizens with legal immigration status. You’ll need to provide documents proving citizenship or immigration status or else face a Section 8 denial.
If you or your family has been displaced by a natural disaster where your home has been severely damaged, this is recognized under disaster relief laws and not HUD, so requirements may be different. If you have any specific questions, contact your local PHA office.
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