Section 8 Overview

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (often referred to simply as “Section 8”) is federally-funded program that helps people with low income pay for privately-owned rental housing. It is run by local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) or Housing Redevelopment Authorities (HRAs).

Through the Section 8 program, individuals and families get a “voucher” that can be used to pay part of the cost of their housing. The program allows people to choose where they want to live and what type of housing will be best for them. When you are participating in the program, you usually pay 30% of your monthly household income for rent and the government pays the rest directly to the landlord.

The help given by the program is designed to be long-term. As long as your income or other family circumstances don’t change very much, you can keep receiving the help. Once you are part of the program you can continue to get help with your rent, even if you move to a new city or another state.

Eligibility

To get Section 8 benefits, you must:

• Have very low income (less than 50% of the area median income)
  • Not all income is counted. Example: The earned income of children under 18 and of dependents over 18 who are full-time students is not counted.
• Not own a home your family could live in
• Have less than $103,200 in countable assets (not all assets are counted)
  • ABLE accounts, Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) accounts, retirement accounts, some types of trusts, and personal property with a combined value of less than $51,600 are not counted.
• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible immigrant. Eligible immigrants include permanent legal residents, refugees, asylees, and lawful temporary residents.

You may be more likely to qualify for Section 8 if you:

• Have a disability
• Have children
• Are age 62 or older
• Are a U.S. Armed Services veteran, widow, or widower
• Are experiencing homelessness
• Are in a shelter

When you apply, the people reviewing your application take into account:

• Your history with federal housing programs
• Your criminal background
• Your credit history

Application Process

Overview

Section 8 housing is a federal government program that is run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Local government agencies called Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and Housing Redevelopment Authorities (HRAs) run the Section 8 program in local communities. There are dozens of PHAs and HRAs with housing programs in Minnesota.

To speed up the process of getting a voucher, you should apply to as many housing authorities as possible.Once you find a housing authority in the area you want to live, the first step is to fill out their application.

In most areas there are not enough vouchers to give to everyone that wants one, so you will probably be put on a waiting list. You should apply to several housing authorities in the general area that you would like to live. Some areas have very long waiting lists so it takes a long time to get a voucher. To speed up the process of getting a voucher, you should apply to as many housing authorities as possible.

Each housing authority has its own application form and you have to fill out a separate application for each one that you apply to. This is made a little easier by the fact that they ask about very similar things, such as who lives in your household and how they are related, what types of income and assets you have, and what your disability status is.

When you reach the top of the waiting list, you will go through a screening process to make sure you meet the eligibility requirements for the program. If you pass the screening you have to go to a meeting at the housing authority called a Section 8 Briefing. After the Briefing you have a short time, usually 60 to 120 days, to find a place to rent (rental unit) that is affordable and where the landlord will accept the voucher.

Once you find a place to live, the housing authority will inspect it. If they approve it, they will make arrangements with the landlord to pay part of your rent. You will also be responsible to pay your part of the rent, which will be between 30 and 40% of your income.

For your protection, while you are living in housing that the Section 8 program helps pay for, the housing authority will inspect the housing each year to make sure the owner is keeping it in good condition.

An important point to remember is that if your disability makes any part of the application process hard for you, you have the right to ask for a reasonable accommodation that will help you have a chance to participate in the program.

Depending on your circumstances, reasonable accommodations may include help filling out applications, extra time to fill out applications or find rental housing, and help finding housing that will meet your specific needs.

You should tell the housing authority about any difficulty you are having with applying to or using the Section 8 housing program and ask them to help you.

How Waiting Lists Work

Since there are almost always more people who need housing than the number of Section 8 vouchers available, housing authorities will usually put you on a waiting list when you first apply.

When a housing authority has a waiting list, they will only accept applications if the waiting list is “open.” Open just means that they will allow you to add your name to the list.

Once you have found an open waiting list, fill out an application and you will be added to the list. When you are on a waiting list it is very important to make sure that you keep your contact information up to date and keep in touch with the housing authority to check on the status of your application. If the housing authority can’t reach you when your turn on the list comes, you may be taken off the list completely.

It is also important that you respond to all letters from the housing authority. They may write to you to ask for more information or to ask if you still want housing. Because people can apply to many different housing authorities and be on many waiting lists at once, most housing authorities update their list often to make sure that everyone on it still wants a voucher.

If you don’t respond to an update letter from a housing authority, they will probably think you are no longer interested in a voucher and take you off the waiting list.

Reasonable Accommodations

You can ask for reasonable accommodations at many stages during the application process.

If you have difficulty with the application, the housing authority must help you fill out your application, if you ask them to help you. For example, if you are visually impaired you can ask them to give you an application in Braille or to provide a staff member to read and help fill out the application with you.

Some housing authorities require you to deliver applications in person or have short time periods during which they accept applications. If your disability makes it hard for you to comply with these policies you can ask for an accommodation.

Examples of accommodations are allowing you to have someone else drop off the application for you, or giving you extra time to complete and submit your application.

Finally, if you miss a letter from the housing authority asking you to update your waiting list status and your name is taken off the waiting list, you can ask that your name be put back on to the list, even if the list is no longer open.

How to Apply

If you think you qualify for a Section 8 housing voucher, you should contact the public housing agency in your area.

If you have a problem applying for a Section 8 program, the best people to help you with your application are the housing authority staff. If you get help from someone else, remember that no one should ever charge you money for a Section 8 application. Anyone who sells an application or a voucher is committing a crime.

How to Appeal if Your Application Is Denied

If your application is denied, the housing authority has to tell you why, and how you can appeal the decision. Instructions for how to appeal will be in the letter telling you that your application was denied. Make sure to appeal the decision right away, because there will be a time limit.

Many of the reasons you could be denied may be related to your disability. Examples of such disability-related difficulties include having a hard time filling out the form, or not having enough time to turn in your documents.

If you think your disability is related to why your application was rejected, you can request another chance to complete your application even after it has been denied, or if the waiting list is now closed.

Using a Voucher

What Kind of Apartment Can I Get?

When you get a voucher, the housing authority will give you guidelines on the size and cost of housing you can rent. If you need a housing unit with more bedrooms, the amount that the housing authority will pay for rent will be higher.

The number of bedrooms that the housing authority allows you will depend on how many people are in your household and their age, sex, and relationship to each other. Depending on the medical conditions and disabilities of household members, more rooms may be provided.

For example, a common accommodation is an increase in bedroom size because of the need for a live-in aide or overnight support staff.

There are many different types of housing that you can rent with a voucher. In addition to houses and apartments, you may be able to use a voucher to help pay for group homes, shared housing, congregate housing, single-room occupancy units, and assisted-living placements.

If you request to pay for any of these housing types using a voucher as a reasonable accommodation and your local PHA will not let you, you may want to contact the Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC) or Chat with a Hub expert to see if anything can be done.

When you find housing you like, the housing authority may give higher payments to the landlord to help cover the cost of accessibility modifications. As long as the needed modifications are reasonable, landlords must allow you to make them. If you already have an apartment you like, you may also be able to use the voucher to help pay for it.

How Do I Find an Apartment Once I Get a Voucher?

When you get a voucher you will have a limited amount of time to find a rental unit. You must be given at least 60 days; many housing authorities allow up to 120 days. It may be difficult to find affordable housing that will meet your needs within this time limit. If you need more time to keep looking for a unit, you can ask for an extension of time as a reasonable accommodation.

If you find that your unique housing needs make it hard to find a unit within the price range given by your local housing authority, the housing authority may be able to raise your rental amount slightly.

If you still have difficulty finding appropriate housing, the housing authority can submit a request to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) asking for a specially approved payment amount. Such accommodations are rare, but if the housing market in your area makes it especially hard for you to find suitable housing, don’t hesitate to ask the local housing authority to help you in any way they can.

Another difficulty you may have when using a voucher is that not all landlords will be willing to accept a voucher. It is legal for them to refuse to accept vouchers. But it is illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent to you because you have a disability. If you suspect that a landlord is refusing to rent housing to you because of your disability you should tell the housing authority and ask for help.

Once you find an affordable unit that will accept your voucher, there are still a few more steps. Most landlords will require you to give them a credit, criminal, and rental history check. Also, the rental unit must be inspected before the housing authority will start making payments to the landlord.

How Much Will I Have to Pay?

Usually you will pay between 30 and 40% of your household income. However, you may end up paying a slightly lower percentage of your income depending on whether you qualify for credits related to your disability or medical expenses. The percentage you pay includes utilities too.

How Long Will I Get Assistance?

The assistance you get from the Section 8 program is designed to be long-term. As long as income or other family circumstances don’t change very much, you can keep getting the assistance. Once you have a voucher, if you move to another unit, the voucher can be used in the new unit. You can keep your voucher when you move anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands, as long as you move to a place where there is a local housing authority to handle your voucher for you.

If your income goes up a lot, it will eventually affect the amount of rent that your voucher will pay. As your income rises, you will still pay between 30 and 40% of your income for rent, but because your income has gone up, the amount of rent that is left for the government to pay will keep getting smaller. If your work income goes up, the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program might take the extra money you spend on rent and save it up for you so that you can buy something later. Learn more about how work impacts Section 8 and other HUD benefits and about the FSS.

If you eventually make enough money that 30% of your household income can cover the entire rent for your housing, the subsidy will stop. Even though the subsidy stops, the voucher stays in effect for one year so that if your income goes down again, the subsidy can start again.

Learn more about Section 8 on Housing Benefits 101.

Programs Related to Section 8

Bridges Program for People with Serious Mental Illness

If you qualify for the Section 8 program and you or someone in your household has a mental illness, the Bridges program may be able to help you. The Bridges program, funded through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, is a State of Minnesota program designed to help people with serious mental illness by providing rental assistance for housing while they are waiting for a Section 8 voucher.

One important difference between the Section 8 voucher and the Bridges certificate is that the Bridges certificate is not portable, and often cannot be used in different counties or out of state.

Not only will the Bridges program help you pay for housing costs while you wait for a Section 8 voucher, being a part of the Bridges program may also help shorten the time you wait.

The Bridges program is run by the same local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and Housing Redevelopment Authorities (HRAs) that run the Section 8 program. Because the Bridges program helps people that are waiting for a Section 8 voucher, the eligibility rules are very similar to the rules for the Section 8 program itself.

The main difference is that to become part of the Bridges program you have to have a mental illness and you have to get a referral from a mental health provider.

If you think you might be eligible for the Bridges program, ask your mental health provider or local social service agency about a referral. Not every area in the state has a Bridges program.

You should also apply for your local Section 8 program immediately and ask the housing authority about the Bridges program (being on a waiting list for a regular Section 8 voucher can only help you).

Project-Based Vouchers for People with Special Needs

An important part of the project-based Section 8 program is that many local housing authorities will save some of their project-based vouchers specifically for people with disabilities. Some project-based housing may also have supportive services already in place for people and families who are part of the program. Many local housing authorities will save some of their project-based vouchers specifically for people with disabilities.

In project-based Section 8 housing the local housing authority has contracted directly with the owner of a housing unit to make it available for people in the Section 8 program to live in. When one of these units is empty, the housing authority will offer it to someone that is waiting for Section 8 Housing.

Project-based rental assistance is different from the Section 8 voucher program because the owner of a rental unit and the housing authority have agreed in advance to make the unit available for a person with a Section 8 voucher.

You will qualify for the same amount of financial assistance under the project-based program as you would qualify for with the Section 8 voucher. The application process and eligibility rules are also the same as the general Section 8 voucher program.

A big difference between project-based rental assistance and the Section 8 voucher program is that it is not always possible to keep your rental assistance when you move. This may make it more difficult to move to a new location, because once you are in public housing, you may not be able to get a Section 8 voucher since you already have housing. This type of assistance is not as “portable” as the voucher system.

Help with Home Buying and Mortgage Payments: Section 8 Home Ownership Program

If you are a current Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher recipient or a current public housing tenant, you may be eligible for help with buying your own home. The Section 8 program can help you by providing homebuyer education and mortgage readiness counseling, and by helping with down payment and closing costs.

People with disabilities are given very favorable eligibility terms for this program. You may want to check with your local housing authority about how eligibility is decided, to make sure all of your relevant circumstances are being considered.

If you need this kind of support, you should think about applying. Click here for a full description of the program. If you have any questions, Chat with a Hub expert.

The Housing Support program (formerly Group Residential Housing) helps pay for room and board in authorized locations for people with low income who have disabilities or other conditions. Housing Support may also help pay for additional services if you are not eligible for MA-Waiver programs or personal care assistance (PCA) services through MA.

You can apply for Housing Support online using MNbenefits or fill out the Combined Application Form and turn it in to your county or tribal human services office. Note on your application that you are requesting Housing Support and the name, address, and telephone number of the location where you plan to live. If you do not mention that you are applying for Housing Support, the county may not check if you are eligible.

This page has videos and information that introduce Housing Support eligibility rules, including how income is counted. Housing Benefits 101 also has an article about Housing Support that explains the sorts of housing settings where it can help.

Important: On October 1, 2024, the rent contribution calculation changed for people who get Housing Support and live in Supportive Housing. The info here hasn't been updated yet. If you live in Supportive Housing, contact your county or tribal human services office. If you live in any other setting, like Assisted Living, Board and Lodge, Adult Foster Care (AFC), or Community Residential Settings (CRS), the changes don't affect you.

Watch these videos to get an introduction to Housing Support:

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Eligibility

To get Housing Support, you must be over age 65 or have a disabling condition. To qualify, you must have either:

1. A General Assistance (GA) basis of eligibility, or
2. A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) basis of eligibility.

For both, you need to live in a location approved by Housing Support.

The eligibility rules for Housing Support are not exactly the same as for GA or SSI. Most people who get Housing Support also get GA or SSI, but some people qualify for Housing Support even though they do not actually get GA or SSI cash benefits.

Housing Support with a GA Basis of Eligibility

You may qualify for Housing Support with a GA basis of eligibility if you have $10,000 or less in assets, and either:

• Get GA benefits, or
• Would qualify for GA benefits if your income or assets were lower. If this is the case, your income still must be below Housing Support's income limit. See DB101’s GA article for more information about GA’s eligibility requirements.

Note: If your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up to $19,000 in assets each year and not have them counted by Housing Support. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

Either way, you also must meet GA's standards for at least one of these situations:

• Permanent or temporary illness or incapacity
• Pending application for SSI and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
• Medically certified as having a developmental disability or mental illness
• Drug or alcohol addiction
• Require services in residence
• Learning disability impacting employment
• Advanced age (55 or older) impacting employment
• Unemployable.

Note: If you get GA benefits with a different basis of eligibility that is not on this list, you will not qualify for Housing Support.

If you are approved for Housing Support with a GA basis of eligibility, you have to apply for SSI benefits if you appear eligible. If you are approved for SSI, you will switch to having Housing Support with an SSI basis of eligibility.

Housing Support with an SSI Basis of Eligibility

You may qualify for Housing Support with an SSI basis of eligibility if you have $10,000 or less in assets, and either:

• Get SSI benefits, or
• Would qualify for SSI benefits if your income or assets were lower. If this is the case, your income still must be below Housing Support's income limit. See DB101’s SSI article for more information about SSI’s eligibility requirements.

Note: If your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up to $19,000 in assets each year and not have them counted by GA or SSI. (If you get SSI benefits, they'lll be suspended if your ABLE account balance goes over $100,000.) Learn more about ABLE accounts.

Income Limits

Your income includes money you get from work, benefits, or other sources. You can only qualify for Housing Support if your countable income is below the highest possible combined amount that Housing Support would pay your provider for:

• Room and board (Housing Support pays at most $1,170 per month), and
• Services you need (Housing Support pays at most $494.91 per month).
  • Note: Most people on Housing Support get services paid for by MA-Waiver programs. Housing Support will not pay for services if you qualify for MA-Waiver programs or for PCA services through MA.

This means your countable income limit for Housing Support may range from $1,170 per month to $1,664.91 per month, depending on the provider and whether you need and qualify for services. And for some people who get services, the limit can be even higher.

Tip: Housing Support doesn’t count all of your income, so even if you think you have too much income to get Housing Support, you might still qualify. For example, starting January 1, 2024, tribal per capita income is not counted by Housing Support.

How Your Income Is Counted and What You Contribute for Your Room and Board

Housing Support looks at your income to:

• Figure out whether you qualify, and
• See how much you need to contribute for your room and board each month.

How Housing Support looks at your income depends on whether you get SSI benefits.

Important: On October 1, 2024, the rent contribution calculation changed for people who get Housing Support and live in Supportive Housing. The info here hasn't been updated yet. If you live in Supportive Housing, contact your county or tribal human services office. If you live in any other setting, like Assisted Living, Board and Lodge, Adult Foster Care (AFC), or Community Residential Settings (CRS), the changes don't affect you.

If You Get SSI Benefits

If you get SSI benefits, no matter how much you get in SSI or how much you earn, your countable income for Housing Support is $839.

You have to pay the $839 for room and board (and services, if Housing Support helps pay for your services). You get to keep any other income you have.

Evelyn makes $1,400 per month at a job and gets $309.50 in SSI benefits, for a total gross income of $1,709.50. Her countable income is $839.

She will have to pay the $839 each month to her housing provider. She keeps the rest of her income ($870.50) for her personal expenses.

Your Monthly Income (Housing Support with an SSI benefit):

Your monthly earned income	$
Plus your monthly SSI benefit	+ $
Plus other monthly unearned income	+ $
Your total income
SSI Maximum Benefit	$967.00
Minus personal needs allowance	- $128.00
	$1,170
Countable Income = what you pay Housing Support provider for room and board
You keep the rest of your income

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If You Do Not Get SSI Benefits

If you have a GA or SSI basis of eligibility and you do not get SSI benefits, follow these steps to see your countable income:

1. If you have any earned income, subtract a $65 earned income exclusion from it.
   • You get to keep the $65.
2. Divide the resulting amount of earned income by two. This is your countable earned income.
   • Less than half of your initial earned income is counted. You get to keep the rest.
3. Add your countable earned income from step two to any unearned income you have and subtract $128 from that number.
   • The $128 is called your personal needs allowance. It is yours to spend on whatever you want or need.
4. The final number is your countable income.
   • If you qualify for Housing Support, you have to pay the full amount of your countable income for room and board.

Note: Other rules not discussed here may let you keep even more of your earned income and pay even less for room and board. To learn about these work incentives, Chat with a Hub expert.

Anna makes $200 per month at a job and gets $750 per month in spousal support, for a total of $950 in gross income.

Anna's Monthly Income (no SSI benefit):

Anna's Monthly Earned Income	$200.00
Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion	- $65.00
Subtotal
Divide by two	÷ 2
Countable Earned Income
Unearned Income	$750.00
Plus Countable Earned Income	+
Minus personal needs allowance	- $128.00
	$1,170
Countable Income = what Anna pays Housing Support provider for room and board
→ (Capped at $1,170)
Anna keeps the rest of her income

Your Monthly Income (Housing Support without SSI benefits):

Your Monthly Earned Income	$
Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion	- $65.00
Subtotal
Divide by two	÷ 2
Countable Earned Income
Your Monthly Unearned Income	$
Plus Countable Earned Income	+
Minus personal needs allowance	- $128.00
	$1,170
Countable Income = what you pay Housing Support provider for room and board
→ (Capped at $1,170)
You keep the rest of your income
Note: Your income may be too high for you to keep getting help from the Housing Support program, depending on how much it pays for services in addition to room and board. For more information, Chat with a Hub expert.

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You Are Better Off Working

If you work, you’ll be better off. You’ll get to keep more money for your own expenses and you’ll keep getting Housing Support benefits if you need them. Here are some important things to remember:

• If you get Housing Support and SSI benefits at the same time, your maximum contribution for your room and board will be $839, no matter how much you earn.
• If you get Housing Support and you don’t get SSI benefits, you can save a lot of your earned income, because Housing Support's rules count less than half of what you earn.

The Bottom Line: It is good to work and you do not need to worry that if you qualify with an SSI basis of eligibility, you’ll lose your Housing Support or will have to spend all your work income on room and board.

Public Housing

Public housing is rental housing for people with low incomes that is owned and managed by a local government agency. Public housing comes in many sizes and types, from single-family houses to large apartment buildings.

Public housing is very affordable. Usually, you will only have to pay 30% of your household income. Learn more about how your income and your earnings affect your rent.

Some units are reserved only for those who are elderly or disabled.

Learn more about Public Housing on Housing Benefits 101.

Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for public housing are usually the same as for the Section 8 voucher program.

Almost all people with disabilities who are getting SSI benefits have a low enough income to qualify for public housing. Public housing is for low-income families and single people. Almost all people with disabilities who are getting SSI benefits have a low enough income to qualify for public housing.

To qualify, it is also necessary to be a citizen of the U.S. or a noncitizen who is a permanent resident, a temporary resident alien, or who has refugee, asylee or other eligible immigration status.

If you are eligible, the housing authority will check your references to make sure you and your family will be good tenants. As part of the application process, the housing authority will probably check your credit and your history as a tenant.

They will also check to see if you have any criminal history. Just like with Section 8 housing, if you have had problems with a housing authority in the past, or you owe money for rent or damages to a housing authority, you will probably not be allowed to live in public housing.

How to Apply

Applying for public housing is a lot like applying for Section 8 housing. Public housing is operated by local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), and Housing Redevelopment Authorities (HRAs).

You apply to the local housing authority to get on their waiting list. Just like the waiting lists for Section 8 vouchers, waiting lists for public housing may be very long. Also, there might only be a few of the type or size of housing that you would like. It is a good idea to apply to several waiting lists in order to improve your chances of getting housing.

HousingLink Resources

HousingLink's Housing Authority Waiting List Report contains the most current information on the status of Section 8 Voucher and Public Housing waiting lists in the Twin Cities seven-county metro area. This report is updated whenever a change in waiting list status occurs. This report will also tell you which housing authorities have open waiting lists.

HousingLink also has a list of rental housing that is currently available and affordable.

Crisis Housing Assistance Program

Overview

If a person is living in Section 8 or public housing and is hospitalized for a mental illness or substance abuse treatment, the housing authority should be informed immediately so that they can recalculate the income of that person. If someone is hospitalized and can’t work, their income-based contribution to their housing should be significantly lowered. This can keep them from losing their housing.

However, if someone does not live in a publicly funded housing unit, the Crisis Housing Assistance Program can help them pay for housing costs while they are hospitalized for mental illness. The Crisis Housing Assistance Program can help a person pay for housing while they are hospitalized for mental illness. The Crisis Housing Assistance Program gives short-term housing assistance to persons with a mental illness whose income is being used to pay an inpatient psychiatric treatment of 90 days or less.

The program can be used by people who rent, own, have payments for mobile home lots, or who are paying in any way for their own permanent and community-based housing.

What is Covered

The Crisis Housing Assistance Programs covers housing expenses that you were previously paying, but are no longer able to pay, because your income is being used to pay for treatment. The funds must be used to help you keep community-based housing. The payments are sent directly to person or agency that you owe them to, like your landlord, mortgage company, or utility company.

How to Apply

In order to apply for the Crisis Housing Assistance Program, you must have already exhausted all other ways of paying for your housing expenses.

You can apply online, or by using a paper form and emailing or faxing it in. Your hospital or treatment facility can help you apply. You will need to include:

• Proof of your income, like screenshots of your bank information and direct deposit payments from your employer, unemployment, SSI, or other income

• A list of how much and who needs to be paid, like your landlord, utility company, or phone company (with their complete address and account information)

• A letter from a medical provider or paperwork showing your diagnosis of a serious mental illness .

If you need help, call 952-915-3698 and they will call you back within 48 hours. Learn more about the Crisis Housing Assistance Program and how to apply.

Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) Payments

Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) is a state program that gives a monthly cash payment to people who are aged, blind, or disabled, and who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Some people who don't get SSI may still be eligible for MSA if their income is low enough and they meet other program requirements.

For example, if you get SSDI that is less than $1,048 a month and your assets are below $10,000, then you probably qualify for MSA.

MSA payments can help you pay for room and board. People getting MA-Waiver or Personal Care Assistant (PCA) services may be eligible for an additional MSA cash supplement to their SSI, to live independently in the community in non-licensed or registered rental housing.

The MSA benefit you get depends on your living arrangements, the amount you receive in SSI or SSDI (if you get an SSI or SSDI benefit), and whether or not you have any special needs expenses. In 2025, the monthly MSA benefit for most people is $81 ($111 for couples).

To learn more about the benefits and eligibility requirements of the MSA program, read DB101's MSA section.

To apply for MSA, visit or call your county or tribal human services office.

Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) Housing Assistance

Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) Housing Assistance can give additional funds to help you stay in your home or make the transition from an institution or mental health program to housing in the community.

MSA Housing Assistance offers $471.5 per month. Every year, this amount is adjusted on July 1st, to be half of Supplemental Security Income's Federal Benefit Rate (FBR).

If you are eligible, the funds will be added to your MSA payment.

MSA Housing Assistance can be used to pay the initial costs of moving into community housing such as a rental deposit and utility and phone set-up costs.

Learn more about MSA Housing Assistance on Housing Benefits 101 and watch the below video.

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Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)

If you or a member of your household is living with HIV/AIDS, you may be able to get help with housing costs through the HOPWA program.

Local housing authorities give rental help to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families, through the HOPWA program. The State of Minnesota also has HOPWA funds available to give short-term rent, mortgage, and utility payment help.

Learn more about Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) on Housing Benefits 101.

To Apply

To get HOPWA rental help you should ask your HIV case manager for a referral.

Learn more about HOPWA.

Emergency Rent Help

Crisis Housing Assistance Program

The Crisis Housing Assistance Program can help you pay for housing costs, if you are hospitalized for mental illness or substance abuse treatment, and you are living in your own home or a rental unit that is not part of a government assistance program.

Your hospital or treatment facility can help you apply for the Crisis Housing Assistance Program. See the full program description here.

Section 8 and Public Housing Tenants

If you are living in Section 8 or public housing and you are having trouble paying your rent, contact your local Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) or Public Housing Authority (PHA) for rental assistance.

Learn more about the Crisis Housing Assistance Program, Section 8, and other programs on Housing Benefits 101.

This page discusses the income rules for rental benefits funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):

• The Section 8 housing choice voucher (HCV) program
• Public housing, and
• Many different project-based housing programs. Note: Some project-based housing has different rules than the rules described here. Make sure to check with the program.

Other programs may also use these same rules or rules that are similar.

Rent Based on Your Income

The key thing to know when you get help with rent from these programs is that how much you pay for rent is directly related to your total income, including earnings from work, benefits you get (like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and other unearned income.

When you get benefits from one of these housing programs and move into a place, you’ll have to pay about 30% of your household income in rent. For example, if you make $1,000 a month, you may have to pay $300 each month for rent. The program pays the rest of the apartment’s rent. You may end up paying a little less if you qualify for credits related to your disability or medical expenses, or if you have children and you pay for childcare costs.

Note: Any money earned by a child under age 18 does not count as household income, and will not affect the rent the family pays. However, unearned income is counted, including SSI, MFIP, or child support.

Generally, you keep paying the same amount of rent as long as your income or other family circumstances don’t change. The only thing you have to do is keep your income, family information, and contact information up-to-date with the manager of your housing benefit:

• Each year, in a process called "annual reexamination," the housing agency looks at your income and family situation again and decides how much rent you must pay in the coming year.
• If there is a change in your income or situation between your annual reexaminations, you have to let the housing agency know. They may then do an "interim reexamination." Depending on the results of the interim reexamination, the amount you pay for rent could change.

After an annual or interim reexamination, you still pay about 30% of your income for rent, but if your income is higher than it used to be, your share of rent goes up and the housing program pays less. Note: The exact timing of when your rent changes depends on how your income changes and other factors.

Tip: If you get help paying your rent and you start making more money at work, ask your public housing authority (PHA) or your housing program if the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program might help you. With the FSS program, when your rent goes up because your earned income went up, the increase in your rent goes into a special account that you can access later to pay for something you need. Learn more about the FSS.

Earning More

With Section 8, public housing, and many different project-based housing programs, the more you make, the more rent you pay. Earned income is treated the same as unearned income, so if your earnings go up by $500 per month, your rent would go up by about 30% of that ($150 per month).

Note that if your income changes, the timing of when your rent changes depends on different things like:

• When your last annual reexamination was done
• If your income went up or down
• How much your income changed, and
• What type of income changed.

The bottom line: You’re better off if you earn more because your rent won’t go up as much as your earnings.

Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program

The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program helps families who get help with their rent from programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

It helps families whose income goes up because of work. When the family income goes up and the program starts paying less for rent, the FSS program takes the money that it saves on rent and sets that money aside for the family. The family can use these savings for purchases, such as the down payment on a home or a car.

The FSS program can help people who get help from programs like:

• Public housing
• The Section 8 housing choice voucher program
• Section 8 project-based rental assistance
• Some other project-based housing programs, and
• Some special purpose vouchers, including Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Family Unification Program (FUP), Foster Youth to Independence (FYI), and Mainstream.

Check with your public housing authority (PHA) or with the administrator of your housing program to see if the FSS can help you. Learn more about the FSS program.

Section 8 Homeownership Voucher Program

The basic idea of the Section 8 Homeownership Voucher Program is to use the money from a regular Section 8 rental voucher to help a family buy a home or meet monthly homeownership expenses.

Not all housing authorities offer the homeownership option as part of their voucher program.

In order to use the program, you have to have a Section 8 voucher. If you do not currently have a voucher, you must go through the same application process as if you wanted to apply for a Section 8 rental voucher.

Once you have a voucher, and if your housing authority offers the Section 8 homeownership program, you can begin looking for a housing unit to buy.

Once you find a housing unit to buy, the housing authority will make the monthly homeownership assistance payment for you. The housing authority may make the payment to the lender directly or to your household.

The amount of the subsidy for the homeownership program is the same amount as your rental voucher would have been.

Eligibility

The program is administered by local housing authorities. You must be a current voucher program participant, or eligible for admission for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. No member of your household can currently own a home, or have owned one in the last three years.

If the family includes a person with a disability, the housing authority may determine that the use of the homeownership option is necessary as a reasonable accommodation. The housing authority may determine that the use of the homeownership option is necessary as a reasonable accommodation.

There is a full-time employment requirement for families that are not disabled or elderly. This does not apply to disabled families. Disabled families can meet income requirements through the money they get from monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.

If any adult family member previously received homeownership assistance and then defaulted on the mortgage, the family will not be eligible for homeownership assistance.

In order to be eligible, you must attend and complete a homeownership counseling program that is required by the housing authority.

Finding a Home

The housing authority may have time limits for you to find and buy a home. But the housing authority may not steer or restrict your search to certain sellers or neighborhoods.

Before you finish buying your home, the housing authority will conduct a housing quality standard inspection to make sure that the condition of the home is decent, safe, and sanitary. The unit must also be inspected by an independent professional that you choose and hire.

Also, before you finish buying the home, you must give a contract of sale to the housing authority. Be sure to check with the housing authority about specific details that must be included in the contract.

A housing authority cannot require that you use a specific lender, but it may make requirements about lending terms and the price of the home you can buy. The housing authority can also require that you follow certain rules in order to continue to receive assistance.

However, for a disabled family, as long as you do all the things that the housing authority requires, there is no time limit to how long the assistance can last.

Foreclosure Prevention

Overview

If you are having trouble paying your mortgage, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers resources that can help:

• Search for a housing counseling agency near you or call HUD's Counseling & Agency Locator Line at 1-800-569-4287.
• Search for a foreclouse avoidance counselor.

Individual Development Accounts

Overview

Minnesotans who are considered low income can build assets to purchase a home using an Individual Development Account (IDA) through a program like Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota (FAIM).

With an IDA, participants who contribute a specified monthly amount and then get a matching amount from state and federal funds. IDA programs may set caps on the amount you are allowed to contribute and the amount that they will match.

With an IDA, you can get off to a good start in saving for buying a home. For example, if you participate for two years in an IDA program with a 3 to 1 match, and you contribute $50 per month for two years (24 months), your contribution would be a total of $50/month x 24 months = $1,200) with the government match being three times as much ($1,200 x 3 = $3,600). So the total in your account after two years would be $1,200 + $3,600 = $4,800 dollars!

Eligibility

To participate in an IDA, you must have:

• Low income
• No bankruptcies, defaulted student loans, or tax liens
• Earned income

You must use IDA funds for:

• Education (tuition and fees)
• Small business start up or expansion
• A home purchase (down payment or closing).

While in the IDA program, you must:

• Attend required classes in financial management, as well as classes that specifically relate to your use of the funds, such as first time homebuyer, business development or career development courses.

Learn more about IDA accounts in DB101's IDA article.

Learn more about homeownership on Housing Benefits 101.

SSI

Although there is a limit to how much income you can have to qualify for the Section 8 program, there is no restriction on the source of your income. Therefore, you can collect SSI and get Section 8 assistance. In fact, if SSI is your main source of income, it is very likely you will also qualify for Section 8 housing assistance.

SSDI

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is wage replacement income for people who have paid into a federal insurance program while they were working. There are no asset limits to qualify for the SSDI program and the amount of money SSDI pays can be much higher than that paid by SSI. Therefore, it is possible that a person who gets SSDI payments may have an income that is too high to qualify for Section 8 rental assistance.

Medical Assistance (MA)

MA has income and asset limits similar to SSI for recipients who are disabled. If you are eligible to get MA, it is likely that you will be able to get Section 8 rental assistance.

David’s Story

After David was diagnosed with schizophrenia several years ago, he moved back home with his parents. About a year ago, he was doing well and he decided he wanted to find an apartment of his own. He found a job and, with some help from his parents, he was able to move into his own place.

Unfortunately, after a few months on his own, his condition took a turn for the worse and he was hospitalized.

Crisis Housing Assistance Program

Because David was not able to work while he was in the hospital receiving inpatient psychiatric services, he was worried that he would lose his apartment. Fortunately, the hospital staff helped him apply online for the Crisis Housing Assistance Program. David's application included:

• Proof of his income.
• A list of how much needed to be paid to his landlord, utility service, and phone company, with complete addresses for each one (with account numbers if needed).
• A letter from the doctor confirming David's diagnosis and his need for treatment.

David was approved for the Crisis Housing Assistance Program, which sent payments directly to his landlord, utility company, and phone company.

However, even though it seemed at first that David’s stay in the hospital would be short, he ended up staying for longer than 90 days. After 90 days, the Crisis Housing Assistance Program stopped paying his housing costs, and he decided to give up his apartment.

Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

After six months in the hospital, David was doing really well. He couldn’t wait to get back into an apartment of his own, but he was not sure how he would be able to pay for it, since he didn’t think he would be able to work any time soon.

Luckily, his case manager had helped him apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) shortly after he arrived at the hospital. He was eligible for SSI because of his disability, and his limited income and assets.

Once he started getting SSI, David was able to get Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) too. MSA is a state program that gives a monthly cash payment to people who are aged, blind or disabled who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

When David decided he was ready to move back to an apartment in the community, he knew that he would be able to depend on monthly payments from SSI and the MSA supplement. Money was still tight though, and his case worker suggested that he apply for a Section 8 housing voucher to help with his housing costs.

Section 8 Housing Vouchers and the Bridges Program for People with Serious Mental Illness

Even though his local housing authority put him on a long waiting list for a Section 8 voucher, David was able to get help with his rent right away through the Bridges Program for People with Serious Mental Illness. The Bridges program is a State of Minnesota program designed to help people with serious mental illness, by giving money for housing while they are waiting for a Section 8 voucher.

Once he became part of the Bridges program, David’s rent became much more manageable. Before participating in the program, he paid more than half of his income for rent. But once he became part of the program, he only paid 30% of his monthly income in rent, and the State paid the rest of his rent directly to his landlord.

Section 8 Housing Voucher

The voucher can last as long as he needs it, so he feels confident that he has enough support in place to live on his own.After a few months, David’s turn came on the local housing authority’s Section 8 waiting list. He got a letter from the housing authority, asking him to come in for a screening interview.

During the interview, he was asked questions to make sure that he met the eligibility requirements for the program. Since the requirements for the Bridges program are almost the same as those for the Section 8 program, David didn’t have a problem qualifying.

After he passed the screening interview, he attended a meeting at the housing authority called a Section 8 Briefing. The Briefing gave him information about how the Section 8 program works and how to find rental housing. During the Briefing, David learned that he could use his voucher to help pay his rent at his current apartment.

Since he likes where he lives, he decided to stay. The voucher can last as long as he needs it, so he feels confident that he has enough support in place to live on his own.