As Clevelanders get squeezed by rising rental costs, many are looking for help. Housing vouchers – also known as Section 8 – are one option for those who can’t afford rent. Households with vouchers pay no more than 40% of their income toward rent and the voucher covers the rest.
The Housing Choice Voucher program is the federal government’s largest housing assistance program. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) spent about $30 billion to serve roughly 2 million households nationwide. HUD gives money to local agencies to run the voucher programs. Cuyahoga County agencies manage about 17,000 vouchers total.
The program uses the word “choice” because it gives eligible renters the choice on where to live. Like most government programs, people must meet income requirements to get a voucher.
Cleveland Housing Squeeze
In Cuyahoga County, voucher programs are run by three local agencies: Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), North Coast Housing Connections (formerly Parma Public Housing Agency) and EDEN.
Vouchers are hard to get and sometimes even harder to use. Generally, people have to get on a waitlist and, well, wait. It can take years. Then, if they do get a voucher, it can be difficult to find a qualified landlord willing to accept it. CMHA invites 1,000 people every month from the waitlist to get a voucher, according to a CMHA spokesperson. Only 36% of those people find housing within six months of getting a voucher.
Section 8 housing vouchers cover the majority of monthly rent
Housing vouchers cover the difference between what someone can pay and what rent costs. People who receive vouchers also typically receive some sort of utility assistance. HUD sets guidelines for local agencies to follow when calculating payments for households of different sizes and incomes.
For example, maybe the household can afford to pay 30% of their income toward rent and the voucher covers the leftover 70%. If the apartment cost $1,000 per month, the housing agency would pay $700 and the household would pay the remaining $300.
Local housing agencies have a set number of Section 8 vouchers and the federal government requires that 75% of them go to the lowest-income households. HUD bases these numbers off the typical household income – also known as area median income or AMI – to figure out how to prioritize those families, which HUD defines as “extremely low income.” For example, a single-person household making less than $20,450 is considered “extremely low-income.”
Where to get a Section 8 voucher in Cleveland
The only way to get a voucher is through a local housing agency’s waitlist. In Cuyahoga County, that means connecting with CMHA, North Coast or EDEN. EDEN’s Section 8 program only accepts seniors and people with disabilities. CMHA and North Coast work with everyone who meets the income restrictions.
EDEN has other housing programs that require an agency referral and do not accept direct applications. For example, EDEN runs a re-entry housing program for people getting out of prison or jail and accepts referrals from the court system.
Right now, the waitlists for both North Coast and EDEN are closed. Agencies can close their wait lists when they have more households than they can assist in the near future. When EDEN opened its waitlist last year, more than 9,000 people applied for the 350 spots available.
CMHA always has an “open” waitlist, but that does not mean that vouchers are immediately available.
Because the demand for help is high and resources are limited, it’s common to spend a while waiting for a Section 8 voucher. The average wait time for a voucher from North Coast is about five years, according to a spokesperson from the City of Parma, which runs the program.
Local agencies can create preferences for selecting applicants from the waiting list. For example, if someone is unhoused or involuntarily displaced, the local agency may choose to move them ahead of others on the waitlist.
Applying for Section 8 also requires a lot of paperwork. Everyone in the household – including children – needs proof of identity and eligible immigration status for the application. Children’s identities can be verified using birth certificates, school records or other official documents such as custody or adoption agreements.
If you are on the waitlist, keep checking with the local housing agency and update your contact information if it changes so the agency can reach you if you are selected for a voucher.
Using a housing voucher can be as tricky as getting one
Section 8 vouchers can be tricky because once you get one, you only have a certain amount of time to find housing before it expires. In Cuyahoga County, most Section 8 vouchers are good for between 90-180 days, depending on the agency. All three housing agencies provide extensions on a case-by-case basis.
Another reason vouchers can be tricky is that not all landlords accept them. In Cleveland, landlords can discriminate against a tenant with a voucher, known as “source of income discrimination.” If you’ve looked at rental listings in Cleveland, you have probably seen some that say “no Section 8” or “no vouchers.”
Surrounding suburbs – like Cleveland Heights – have passed laws protecting people from source of income discrimination.
What can you do about Section 8 discrimination? Here’s how to file a complaint in five cities
If you find a landlord willing to accept your voucher, the next step is for the housing agency to inspect the unit to make sure it meets health and safety requirements. The housing agency also determines if the rent is reasonable based on HUD’s calculations for the area.
Once the agency approves the unit, you can sign the lease with the landlord and the landlord signs a payment contract with the housing agency. You and the housing agency each pay your portion of the rent to the landlord.
Can I take my Section 8 housing voucher with me when I move?
Yes. Anyone who receives a voucher in Cuyahoga County can use it to move anywhere within the county.
If you want to move outside the county, you will need to transfer your voucher to another housing agency. For example, if you wanted to move to Akron, you would contact Akron Housing Authority to find out how to transfer.
If you need help looking up local housing agencies, HUD created this tool to find more information about HUD and affordable housing opportunities.
What can landlords who want to accept vouchers do?
Landlords should contact the local housing agencies – CMHA, North Coast or EDEN – for more information. In general, landlords must be able to show to the local agency that they can provide safe and sanitary housing to voucher holders.
CMHA Landlord Resources
Phone: 216-271-2599
Email: [email protected]
North Coast Landlord Resources
Phone: 216-661-2015
Landlords can register their properties online here.
EDEN Landlord Resources
Phone: 216-503-6369
Email: [email protected]
Don’t want to read anymore? HUD created a short 7-minute video that explains housing vouchers and the benefits to landlords who accept them.
Signal Cleveland is digging into affordable housing with: The Housing Squeeze.
Stories in the series examine Cleveland’s affordable housing landscape through the experiences of renters and homeowners and with an eye toward solutions.
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