Everything You Need to Know About Section 8 Housing in San Bernardino | GetJerry.com (2024)

Section 8 is a voucher system, and obtaining a voucher can be a struggle. There’s a lot of red tape, lengthy paperwork, and long wait times—and if you’re facing housing instability, the complicated process is just one more stressor in your life.

Section 8 is a common name for the federal government’s major affordable housing program. Also called the housing choice voucher program, it is administered by local public housing agencies.

Its goal is to assist low-income families, disabled people, and the elderly so they can access decent, safe, and clean housing.

The name Section 8 comes from Section 8 of the 1974 Housing and Community Development Act, which established the program.

Here’s how the program works:

If you’re looking into Section 8, you know there are a bunch of rules and regulations, and this isn’t only true for tenants. Landlords and local housing authorities also have obligations to fulfill. Here’s what everyone involved is responsible for:

To qualify for Section 8, you must be either a US citizen or documented immigrant who is 18 years of age or older. If you’ve ever been evicted, especially for drug use or methamphetamine manufacture, your application may be rejected—and if you’re a convicted sex offender, you’ll be denied.

To qualify, your income can’t exceed 50% of the median income in your area. HUD includes the following income sources:

The current median income in San Bernardino County is $74,969. The income limits for your household will depend on your family’s size, which you can view in the table below.

Also keep in mind that federal law requires the HACSB to give 75% of its total available vouchers to applicants who qualify as extremely low income, with annual earnings 30% or less of the median.

Other factors can encourage HACSB to prioritize your application. While there are currently long waitlists for all voucher programs, if you have children, disabled, or elderly family members, you may receive faster consideration. You could also be pushed up the waitlist if you’re currently unhoused.

Note that as of this writing, the waitlist in San Bernardino for housing choice vouchers is full, but you can get on the list for project-based vouchers.

Once you complete the application, HACSB will review your application and notify you if you qualify. If you do, you’ll be placed on a waiting list. Households are served through attrition, meaning that a new one can only be added when someone else has left the program.

For this reason, waiting times can be long—months or even years. To check your waiting list status, visit the HACSB portal and log in.

When you’re next in line on the waiting list, HACSB will contact you to verify your eligibility, and then you’ll be able to get your voucher. The next steps will depend if you’re in the housing choice voucher program or a project-based voucher program.

Section 8 housing in San Bernardino is known as the Tenant-Based Voucher Rental Assistance Program, and its waitlist is often closed. Because it serves families through attrition, it only opens every few years when new vouchers become available. The waitlist for Section 8 housing in San Bernardino is currently closed.

However, other housing assistance is available in San Bernardino. Project-based housing communities exist, where rental assistance is attached to a specific unit owned or managed by the HACSB or a different housing partner.

After a voucher becomes available to you, HACSB will refer you to the Property Management Company where you’ll be assigned an apartment. The unit has to pass an inspection, and then there’s some more paperwork to file.

Once that’s all done, you and the landlord will enter into a lease agreement, and HACSB will provide the rental assistance.

If you’re hesitant to switch home insurance plans or providers because you’re worried about the work involved, don’t be.