Section 8 is a federal program aimed at affordable housing accessibility. In Los Angeles, families who make 50% or less of the Los Angeles median income are eligible.

The Section 8 housing voucher program ensures low-income families, the elderly, and disabled individuals pay less than 40% of their monthly income on rent.
Section 8 families can choose between house-choice vouchers to search for apartments independently or project-based vouchers for pre-approved properties.
The Section 8 waiting list can take months to cycle through before qualifying families will receive housing assistance.

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Section 8 housing: Low-income housing in LA

Section 8 is a federally-funded rental assistance program under the 1974 Housing and Community Development Act that helps provide affordable housing to the following demographics:

Low-income families

Elderly people

Disabled people

Qualifying Section 8 tenants will have a portion of their rent subsidized and paid for by the government to ensure that they’re not spending more than 40% of their income on rent.

What to expect: Eligible tenants apply for either housing vouchers or project-based vouchers through the

Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA)

Housing choice vouchers: Help tenants pay for any apartment that matches the listed qualifications listed on the voucher.

Project-based vouchers: Help tenants get into specific properties in Los Angeles that landlords have designated as low-income dwellings.

The number of bedrooms on your voucher will be based on the size of your family and the planned number of occupants.

Key Takeaway Tenants who qualify for Section 8 can apply for housing choice or project-based vouchers to ensure that they won’t pay more than 40% of their monthly income on rent.

Requirements for Section 8 housing in Los Angeles

Though Los Angeles housing is overseen by the LACDA, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has specific requirements for all Section 8 tenants:

The applicant must qualify as a “family.”

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or non-citizens who have eligible immigration status.

The head of the household submitting for section 8 must be at least 18 years old.

Any family member over 18 must also consent to a background check. (Those with a criminal background, like sex offenders, may be denied.)

Your income cannot exceed 50% of the area median income (AMI) in Los Angeles.

Income is not the only factor or guarantee that you’ll be approved for Section 8 housing. The following applicants are likely to get priority for application approval:

Families with children

Family members with disabilities

Elderly family members

Family members who are currently unhoused

Los Angeles family requirements for Section 8

The definition of family is very loose for the purposes of these requirements. All of the below are considered families (quoted directly from the LACDA website):

An elderly family: A family whose head, co-head, spouse, or sole member is a person who is at least 62 years old.

A disabled family: A family whose head, co-head, spouse, or sole member is a person with disabilities.

A group of persons: Two or more persons sharing residency, who are not categorized as an elderly or disabled family, whose income and resources are available to meet family needs. There must be a relation by blood, marriage, or operation of law, or the group must provide evidence of a significant relationship determined to be stable by the LACDA.

A single person: A person who lives alone, or intends to live alone, who is not categorized as an elderly or disabled family.

Los Angeles income requirements for Section 8

Los Angeles has a median household income of $65,290. The following are included in income calculations:

Wages

Business income

Interest

Welfare assistance

Social security benefits

Alimony and child support

The income limits for Section 8 change depending on the size of your family. Use the table below to find your qualifying income limit for Section 8 in Los Angeles based on your family size:

Family size	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Extremely low income-30%	$24,850	$28,400	$31,950	$35,450	$38,300	$41,150	$44,000	$46,800
Very low income- 50%	$41,400	$47,300	$53,200	$59,100	$63,850	$68,600	$73,300	$78,050
Low income- 80%	$66,250	$75,700	$85,150	$94,600	$102,200	$109,750	$117,350	$124,900

How to apply for Section 8 housing in Los Angeles

Head to the LACDA’s

online portal

to start your Section 8 housing application. Be ready with all your personal information and thorough documentation to prove your income.

How long it takes: Unfortunately, the Section 8 waitlist can take months. Families sometimes wait years before receiving housing vouchers. During this time, you’ll need to notify the LACDA if you have any changes to your:

Income

Family make-up

Mailing address

Once you’ve made it to the front of the waitlist, LACDA will confirm your eligibility before giving you your voucher.

How to find Section 8 housing in Los Angeles

Once you get your voucher, you can use the following resources to find an available unit in public housing:

LACDA website

Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA)

LA County Housing Resource Center

These resources feature more than 70,000 property listings registered by over 11,000 landlords to help voucher holders find the right fit.

What to do:

Document every step of your search, including communication with landlords and any paperwork you submit for leases or applications.

Once you find an apartment, send a copy of the lease to the LACDA.

Include the “request for tenancy approval” documents that you received when you were given your housing voucher.

Your apartment will be inspected by a LACDA employee to make sure it is livable. The LACDA will likely continue to make yearly inspections to ensure you and the landlord both abide by Section 8 requirements.

Section 8 tenant, landlord, and housing authority obligations

There are certain obligations that tenants, landlords, and Los Angeles housing authorities must adhere to under Section 8:

Tenant	Landlord	Housing authority
Provide accurate and complete documentation	Screen tenants	Determine applicants’ eligibility and issue vouchers
Find suitable housing and complete all required paperwork before voucher expires	Comply with fair housing laws	Approve units, rental amounts, and leases
Pay rent promptly and attend all required appointments	Complete all necessary repairs and maintenance	Inspect subsidized units annually
Notify the housing authority of any changes in income or family composition	Provide housing authority with documentation of any notices to tenant, including eviction notices	Ensure that both tenants and landlords comply with program rules