Apply for Section 8

The Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as Section 8, is the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, elders, and people with disabilities to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments.

Participants are free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by public housing agencies (PHAs). Under a contract with the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, Metro Housing|Boston is the largest regional provider of Housing Choice Vouchers in the state.

With a Section 8 voucher, individuals and families with low incomes can rent their next home. The tenant pays 30 percent of his or her income toward rent and utilities; the Section 8 voucher covers the rest of the housing costs. The subsidy is paid directly to the landlord.

The demand for Section 8 and other subsidy programs is much larger than the stock of available vouchers and project-based units resulting in very long waiting lists. Under project-based housing programs, the rental assistance is tied to specific apartments. It is not a mobile subsidy that can be taken with you from place to place.

Some housing authorities have chosen to close their waiting lists due to the high demand. The Section 8 waiting list is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. All applications will be added to the waiting list according to the date and time of receipt. Metro Housing|Boston is currently selecting applicants from 2008.

Section 8 applicants may apply to more than one list, including:

STATEWIDE WAITING LIST

All of the regional nonprofit housing organizations in Massachusetts work together to administer the state-wide Section 8 program. You may apply to any one of these regional nonprofit agencies that administer the statewide Section 8 program (including Metro Housing|Boston) and your name will be placed on a statewide Section 8 waiting list maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. This means that if you have applied with one regional organization, you do not need to apply with another regional organization.

SECTION 8 PRE-APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENT (ONLINE)

For regional housing agencies, including Metro Housing|Boston.

Complete Online Application

SECTION 8 PRE-APPLICATION (PAPER)

For regional housing agencies, including Metro Housing|Boston.

Download Paper Application

SECTION 8 SUPPLEMENT (PAPER)

For regional housing agencies, including Metro Housing|Boston.

Download Paper Supplement

CENTRALIZED WAITING LIST

A number of local housing authorities participate in a Centralized Section 8 Waiting List, a centralized waiting list in which 102 local housing authorities participate. Click here for more information about how to apply to one of these 102 authorities.

For housing authorities that do not participate in the Centralized Waiting List, please apply directly with that housing authority. Please see the Local Housing Authority Directory to find a housing authority in Massachusetts that may offer other waiting lists.

Communities we serve

Metro Housing|Boston serves individuals and families, as well property owners, in 30 communities throughout Greater Boston.

  • Arlington
  • Bedford
  • Belmont
  • Boston
  • Braintree
  • Brookline
  • Burlington
  • Cambridge
  • Chelsea
  • Everett
  • Lexington
  • Lynn*
  • Malden
  • Medford
  • Melrose
  • Milton
  • Newton
  • North Reading
  • Quincy
  • Reading
  • Revere
  • Somerville
  • Stoneham
  • Wakefield
  • Waltham
  • Watertown
  • Wilmington
  • Winchester
  • Winthrop
  • Woburn

*Metro Housing|Boston does not administer RAFT, Voucher Programs, or HomeBASE assistance in Lynn. See Lynn Housing Authority.
*In addition to the 30 communities listed above, Metro Housing|Boston administers rental voucher programs in Holbrook, Randolph, and Weymouth. If you are specifically seeking RAFT assistance in those communities,
you must apply instead to Housing Solutions. (http://housingsolutionssema.org).

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