The Path to Success Program is a change to the way SDHC calculates the amount of minimum monthly rent families pay while receiving Section 8 HCVs. This program is intended to motivate families to increase their income. Households are classified as either Work-Able or Elderly/Disabled.
Work-Able is defined as a household with at least one adult who is under 62, not disabled, and not a full-time student (aged 18-23).
There is no minimum monthly rent payment amount ($0) for households in which all adult family members are 62 or older, disabled, or full-time student(s) (aged 18-23).
The current minimum monthly rent payment amounts are:
Work-Able families pay either the minimum monthly rent payment amount or a predetermined amount of rent that is based on the family's annual income, whichever is greater. Your contribution to rent will be paid directly to the landlord.
Hardship Policy
Families experiencing significant financial hardship can apply for an exemption to the minimum monthly rent payment amounts. All hardship requests must be in writing and submitted to the SDHC. SDHC may request documentation of the financial hardship. Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
For more information about the Path to Success Program, visit SDHC's website.
In addition to the above, the payment standard of the voucher is how SDHC contributes to your rent. A payment standard is the dollar value of a voucher, and the maximum amount Section 8 will pay towards rent. The SDHC is one of 39 PHAs that are a part of the HUD Moving to Work (MTW) program. MTW allows SDHC to create innovative strategies to give participants more flexibility in choosing housing in neighborhoods that provide more opportunities to residents. This is called the Choice Communities Initiative. The Choice Communities Initiative affects how SDHC calculates payment standards. The SDHC's contributions to rent will be paid directly to the landlord.
Payment standards are determined by zip code and minimum number of bedrooms listed on the voucher. Learn more about payment standards and see a chart of payment standards by zip code and bedrooms on HACSD's website.
To calculate your total tenant payment, follow these steps:
The final result will be your total contribution to rent. Your contribution to rent will be paid directly to the landlord. The minimum amount of rent that can be paid by the tenant is $50. If you are experiencing financial hardship, you can request an exemption from the minimum rent amount.
Don't forget about utilities! See a copy of the form used to calculate the utilities allowance you can receive. The actual expense of your utilities may exceed your utilities allowance.
You can choose to pay more to live in a unit where the gross rent (rent plus utilities) exceeds the local payment standard, but you may not pay more than 40% of your adjusted income (gross annual income minus dependent & elderly/disabled deductions) at the time the rental unit is initially approved.
See a full rental assistance calculation chart on HACSD's website.
HACSD uses a Small Area Fair Market Rent payment standard to determine the maximum amount of assistance (dollar amount) that HACSD can issue on your voucher. You can see the payment standards by zip code and bedroom size. If you rent in a higher-cost neighborhood, you may receive a higher payment standard. The Small Area Fair Market Rent method is intended to create more equal access to resources in more expensive zip codes.
HACSD will approve the total number of bedrooms you can have in your unit. This is called a subsidy standard, and it is set by HUD. The general rule is that one bedroom is assigned to every two (2) people, regardless of relationship. Additional bedrooms can be added to the subsidy standard if a live-in aid is requested for a disabled household member. If you select a unit with more bedrooms than approved, the payment standard of the approved unit size will be used to determine your assistance amount and utility allowance.
HACSD will pay the difference between your contribution of rent and either the payment standard or the gross rent (rent plus utilities), whichever is lower. HACSD's contribution to your rent will be paid directly to the landlord.