Housing Choice Vouchers

Voucher Types

There are four different Housing Choice Voucher types offered by the Lancaster County Housing Authority:

• Tenant Based Vouchers (Commonly known as the “Section 8” program)

  • Vouchers are issued to tenants who have applied and are qualified to receive assistance. These vouchers are the majority of the vouchers available through the Lancaster County Housing Authority.

  • HUD HCV Dashboard

• Project Based Vouchers

  • Project Based Vouchers or PBVs are a component of the overarching Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. PBVs are vouchers assigned specifically to a housing unit. Up to 20% of the vouchers held by a housing authority can be used as Project Based Vouchers.

• Emergency Housing Vouchers

  • The Emergency Housing Voucher or EHV program was made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for COVID-19 Pandemic Relief and Assistance. Lancaster County has 38 total EHVs, of these 14 EHVs are issued and an additional 22 are leased.

  • HUD EHV Dashboard

• Non-Eldery Disabled Vouchers (NED)

  • This voucher program serves a special population, non-elderly persons with disabilities. Lancaster County has 50 total NED vouchers.

Program Information

The Lancaster County Housing Authority administers the Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance program in Lancaster County, outside the Lancaster City limits. Under the program, income-eligible tenants pay a minimum of thirty percent (30%) of their monthly incomes for rent and utilities and the Lancaster County Housing Authority pays the remaining portion of the rent. Tenants are given a housing voucher and they are responsible for locating a suitable rental unit. The landlord must agree to participate in the Program.

The Housing Choice Voucher program is designed to increase housing choice and provide rental assistance to eligible low-income families leasing safe, decent, affordable housing from private owners. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD provides funding and makes the rules and regulations for the voucher program.

All types of rental housing (single family homes, apartments, duplexes, and mobile homes) are eligible as long as the rent is reasonable in comparison to the fair market rent limits established by US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the unit is decent, safe, and sanitary. Any units for which a household receives rental assistance must pass an annual inspection to ensure that the unit is safe and decent.

Lancaster County has 868 total vouchers and currently provides rental subsidies to approximately 799 households in Lancaster County. The number of vouchers that can be subsidized is dependent on the monthly average Housing Authority payment and our budget authority. There is currently a waiting list of 36 households from the most recent waiting list established in 2007. A new application round will open once vouchers are provided to all households currently on the waiting list. The annual budget is approximately $7.5 Million.

Current income limits for HUD funded Voucher programs for 2024 are listed below: