The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program is a federal funded program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program. Housing choice vouchers are administered locally by public housing agencies (PHAs). The PHAs receive federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the voucher program.
After qualifying for the program, a family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family’s choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program. This unit may include the family’s present residence. Rental units must meet minimum standards of health and safety, as determined by the PHA. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the PHA on behalf of the participating family. The family then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. To search for housing visit GoSection8.com.
Before you begin the pre-application please have the following information available:
• Name of all family/household members
• Sex and relationship of all members
• Street address, mailing address if different from street address
• Amount(s) of annual income received by family members
• Social Security numbers
• Race/Ethnicity
• Pen and paper to document your receipt number
You must submit a Change of Information Form, in person or by mail to, ATTN: Intake Department, St. Louis Housing Authority, 3520 Page Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63106.
No. You do not have to be a citizen of the United States, but as least one member of your household must be a United States citizen or a non-citizen with eligible immigration status (i.e. permanent resident, refugee/asylum statuses).
A local preference is a system, adopted by SLHA, for selecting families admitted to the HCV Program. Local preferences are only valid for the head of the household, co-head of the household, spouse or sole member. Dependents cannot qualify a family for a local preference. Please remember that claiming a local preference does not automatically grant you a preference on the wait list. Preferences will be verified by SLHA.
You will be prompted to print the pre-application and receipt number pages. Retain these pages for your records as proof that you applied. You may check the status of your pre-application with the receipt number here.
Applicants will remain on the waiting list in order of preference, date and time of the pre-application until they are selected for eligibility and admission.