Tenants
As a participant in the Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher Program, you have responsibilities that you must fulfill to remain eligible to receive assistance.
Section 8 can be used on your road to self-sufficiency. If you are interested in learning how you can use the program to further improve your life, check out the FSS and Section 8 Homeownership Programs.
If you are looking for a unit, click here.
To report fraud or abuse of the program, click here.
To find your Specialist, click here.
Family Obligations
The assisted family must:
- Supply information determined necessary by Prichard Housing Authority (HACP) or HUD to administer the program, including completion of scheduled income reviews.
- Report changes in family income or composition within ten days.
- Must request and receive approval by the HACP before adding any person to the household.
- Supply any information requested by the HACP to verify that the family is living in the unit or information related to family absence from the unit.
- Pay your portion of rent, your utility bills and provide and maintain any appliances that the owner is not required to provide under the lease.
- Promptly notify the HACP in writing when the family is away from the unit for an extended period of time in accordance with HACP policies.
- Allow the HACP to inspect the unit at reasonable times and after reasonable notice.
- Correct all damages beyond normal wear and tear, or tenant-caused damages, to the unit within the specified time frame.
- Notify the HACP and the owner in writing before moving out of the unit or terminating the lease.
- Use the assisted unit for residence by the family. The unit must be the family's only residence.
- Promptly notify the HACP in writing of the birth, adoption, or court-awarded custody of a child.
- Request HACP written approval to add any other family member as an occupant of the unit.
- Promptly notify the HACP in writing if any family member no longer lives in the unit.
- Give the HACP a copy of any owner eviction notice.
- Not allow anyone other than the family members approved for your household live in your assisted unit.
- Not commit any serious or repeated violations of the lease.
- Not breach a repayment agreement with the Prichard Housing Authority.
Not engage in drug-related or violent criminal activity at or away from the assisted unit. Additionally, a guest of the family may not engage in drug or criminal activity at the assisted unit.
Terminations and Informal Hearings
Prichard Housing Authority terminates assistance when:
- No housing assistance payment has been made on behalf of the family in 180 days.
- Persons are convicted of manufacturing or producing methamphetamines on the premises of federally assisted housing.
- When any household member is currently engaging in illegal use of a drug and/or the use of a drug is threatening neighbors' right to health, safety or peaceful enjoyment of the premises.
- If any member is subject to a lifetime registration requirement under a state sex offender registration program.
- A family is evicted from assisted housing.
- A family fails to meet family obligations.
- A family willingly, intentionally and knowingly commits fraud or is involved in any other illegal scheme with the owner.
Prichard Housing Authority is required to provide participants an opportunity for an informal hearing regarding decisions related to the following:
- Family's annual or adjusted income and calculation of the housing assistance payment.
- Appropriate utility allowance.
- Unit size based on subsidy standards.
- Termination of Assistance.
- Termination of FSS Contract, withheld supportive services or proposed forfeiture of the family's escrow account.
Decisions that do not require an informal hearing include:
- Determination that a unit does not comply with HQS.
- Refusal to extend or suspend a voucher term.
- Discretionary administrative determinations by HACP.
- General policy issues or class grievances.
- How HACP established its utility allowance schedule.
- HACP's refusal to approve a unit or tenancy.
- Determination that a unit does not meet HQS due to family size or change in composition.
- Determination to exercise or not to exercise any rights or remedy against the owner.
EVI
The EIV system is a web-based computer system, which contains employment and income information of participants in HUD rental assistance programs. All Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) are required to use HUD's EIV system. HUD obtains information about you from the several federal agencies.
The purpose of HUD's EIV System is to make the data from these sources available in one report through the Internet, for PHAs to use to improve income verification during required income reexaminations. EIV provides the following information:
- Monthly employer new hires
- Quarterly wages (including employer information), Federal wages are available
- Quarterly unemployment compensation
- Monthly social security (SS) and supplement security income (SSI) benefits
EIV System Uses and Capabilities
- Provides new hire, wage, unemployment compensation, and Social Security benefit information through a data matching process for households covered by a HUD Form 50058 and individuals who have disclosed a valid Social Security Number (SSN)
- Allows PHAs to view monthly new hire information, quarterly wage, employer information, quarterly unemployment benefit payments, monthly Social Security (SS) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, and Medicare deductions and/or buy-ins for tenants within the PHA's jurisdiction
- Provides income discrepancy reports to identify families who may have substantially underreported household income
- Identifies individuals who are required to disclose a valid SSN to the PHA
- Identifies individuals who may have disclosed an invalid SSN to the PHA
- Identifies individuals who may be receiving duplicate rental assistance
- Identifies individuals who voluntary or involuntarily ended participation (EOP) in a rental assistance program with an adverse status and/or outstanding debt owed to a PHA as of the EOP date
Helps deter housing fraud.