- 1). Meet U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status requirements. If you are a U.S. citizen you will meet this qualification for a low income rent subsidy program, but you will be required to present a copy of your birth certificate as proof of citizenship during the application process. Certain non-citizens who have eligible immigration status may also qualify and must present the proper legal documents to confirm their status.
- 2). Check that your annual income does not exceed the California income restrictions for your area. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) establishes limits on income, which are based on the median income in your area. Income limits will vary according to where you live in California, so that even if you qualify in one city, you may be ineligible in another. For Public Housing your annual income must not exceed 80 percent of the median income in your area order to qualify for low income housing, while in order to qualify as very low income you are not to exceed 50 percent of the median for your area. To qualify for Section 8 your family income must not exceed 50 percent of the median income for the area you wish to live in. By law the PHA must provide 75 percent of its vouchers to applicants who have incomes that do not exceed 30 percent of the area's median income. To determine where you fall in meeting the income requirements to receive help from the Housing Authority or Section 8, go the HUD website for California and click on the link for "Get Rental Help". Look for your city and the size of your household size to determine if your annual gross income qualifies.
- 3). Satisfy previous rental history requirements. The PHA wants to ensure that anyone who is receiving low income rent has not had any detrimental experiences or habits that have been noted by previous landlords and that could indicate future problems while receiving low income benefits. You must submit this information on your application so that the PHA can review and contact your past landlords.
- 4). Confirm that you meet the basic qualifications, then contact your local PHA. The PHA will use your application to further determine if you qualify based off of any specific requirements for the area where you plan to live. For a list of housing agencies in California, go to the California HUD website and click the "Get Rental Help" link. Next, click on the "PHAs in California" link or the "PHA website" link. These links will direct you to a either a page with county PHA information such as the agency's name, phone number, fax number and email; or you will be directed to a page that lists links to county websites. Call or contact the PHA in your area to set up an appointment where you can discuss your eligibility and complete an application form.
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