Update 11/20/2024: Due to limited available funds, families currently in the eligibility process will have their eligibility temporarily suspended. These families will be placed back on the waiting list based on their original position number. Affected families have been notified of their status via mail.

Are applications currently being accepted?

The 2024 Miami Dade Housing Choice Voucher waitlist application submission period is now closed. 

PUBLIC HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (PHCD)
SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER (HCV) PROGRAM 
2024 Waiting List Randomization FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

Submission of an application does not guarantee placement on the Section 8 HCV waiting list. 

At the time of selection, applicant(s) must meet the program requirements and the income limits for the household composition established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The 2023 income limits are as follows:

WHEN WILL THE COMPUTER-GENERATED RANDOMIZATION PROCESS TAKE PLACE?
PHCD will conduct the computer-generated randomization process on Monday, March 18, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.

HOW MANY APPLICATIONS WILL BE SELECTED FOR PLACEMENT ON THE WAITING LIST?
Only 5,000 applications will be randomly selected for placement on this waiting list.

WHEN WILL I KNOW IF I WAS RANDOMLY SELECTED FOR THE PROGRAM?
Within 24 hours after the applications are randomly sorted and the ranking number is assigned, you will be able to check your status with your confirmation number at  https://miamidadevoucher.myhousing.com/webApp/lotterychecker or by calling 786-654-8440 or at (786) 469-4100. If you are selected for placement on the waiting list, the application portal will display your ranking for the waiting list, as well as allow you to update your contact information at  www.mdvoucher.com

If you do not find a ranking this means that you were not selected. 

Also, if you are selected for placement on the waiting list, you will be notified in writing to the mailing address and/or email address provided upon time of submission. If you are not selected for placement on the waiting list, you will be notified via the email address provided on the application.

I AM HOMELESS, DO I HAVE ANY PREFENCE?
Yes. Applicant(s) assigned a ranking number will be selected based on the following category of preferences: 1) Terminated due to Insufficient Funding by PHCD; 2) Displacement due to Natural Disaster; 3) Displacement due to Government Action; 4) Homeless; 5) Veterans; 6) Mainstream Preference; and 7) Miami-Dade County Residency Preference.

CAN I TALK TO SOMEONE IF I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Yes, you may contact the Miami-Dade County Department of Public Housing and Community Development Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher office by calling (786) 654-8440 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. 

IF I AM SELECTED, BUT MOVE DURING THE PROCESS, HOW CAN I UPDATE MY ADDRESS?
If you are selected for the waiting list, you will be notified in writing to the mailing address and/or email address provided upon time of submission. If you do not respond to our notifications, or your letter is returned undeliverable, YOUR NAME WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE WAITING LIST.

If you have a change of address, phone number, income or family size, you must notify the program within 10 business days of the change.  ALL CHANGES MUST BE IN WRITING AND CAN BE COMPLETED ON THE PROGRAM APPLICATION PORTAL ( https://www.mdvoucher.com/en-US/Waitlists/Home/CheckStatus)

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Applying for Assistance

Who can take part in the HCV Program? 
If a family wants to participate in the HCV program, the following must be true:

• The family is on the HCV program waiting list or the family is porting their voucher from another housing authority.
• The family must meet HUD’s eligibility requirements including:
• Be a family
• At least one member must have eligible citizenship status
• Disclosure and verification of SSNs
• Family income does not exceed income limits established by HUD
• Family must not have engaged in certain criminal activity

Are applications currently being accepted?

The 2024 Miami Dade Housing Choice Voucher waitlist application submission period is now closed. 

What happens if I am denied admission? 
If MDHCV denies your admission into the HCV program, you will receive a notice that will provide the reason for the denial as well as how you can request an informal review where mitigating circumstances may be considered. An Informal Hearing/Review Request Form can be found on MDHCV’s website at www.miamidade.gov/housing.

How the Voucher Works

Once you are determined eligible, you will be invited to a voucher issuance briefing. At the briefing, you will learn about how the program works and receive the documents you will need to start your unit search. The briefing will also provide information on how to lease a unit, explain owner responsibilities, and family obligations under the program.

What is a Voucher? 
The voucher is the HUD form that allows you to begin looking for housing. The voucher is tied to your family, not your unit. In other words, when your family moves, the subsidy goes with you. The voucher tells you the size unit your subsidy payment will cover and the date the voucher will expire. The voucher also includes the HUD HCV Family Obligations that your family must follow in order to continue to qualify for the subsidy. When you sign the voucher, you agree to follow those obligations. If you do not follow the family obligations, MDHCV may have grounds to remove you from the HCV Program.

How does MDHCV decide how many bedrooms my family needs? 
MDHCV uses what are called subsidy standards to determine the size voucher you receive. MDHCV applies the following subsidy standards when determining your voucher size:

• Single person families are given a zero or one-bedroom voucher
• Generally, two people are expected to share one bedroom
• A single head of household parent is not required to share a bedroom with their child, although they may do so at the request of the family
• Exceptions to the largest subsidy standards may be made as a reasonable accommodation for a person with disabilities
• Exceptions may also be granted if they are justified by the age, sex, health, disability, or relationship of family members
• Children of opposite sex who are over the age of six are not required to occupy the same bedroom or living/sleeping room
• A single pregnant woman (with no other family members) will be given a maximum of a one-bedroom voucher
• Children are counted toward the voucher size if the applicant/participant has residential placement at least 50 percent of the time
• Children who are temporarily away from home because they have been placed in foster or kinship care or are away at school will count toward the voucher size
• A live-in aide may be assigned up to one bedroom if approved as a reasonable accommodation
• The live-in aide may have PHA-approved family member(s) live with them in the unit as long as the unit is not overcrowded per HQS
• No additional bedrooms will be provided to accommodate the live-in aide’s family members

Term of the Voucher 
The term of the voucher is the amount of time you are provided to search for a unit. The initial term is the time between the “Issue Date” and the “Expiration Date”. Effective January 1st, 2024, MDHCV will issue the initial vouchers for 120 days. For families moving to Miami-Dade County under portability rules, the term of the voucher in Miami will be the same as the one that was originally issued to you. However, MDHCV will automatically provide 30 additional days from the expiration date or the extension expires, whichever is later.

Expiration of the Voucher 
The voucher will have an expiration date on it. You must submit a completed Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) form prior to the expiration date, with any applicable extensions, of your voucher. RTAs must be submitted by visiting https://mdvoucher.com/en-US/rta.

Suspension of Voucher and Tolling Time 
When you submit an RTA, MDHCV will “stop the clock” on your voucher. This is also referred to as “suspending” or “tolling Time”. If the RTA is not approved, you will be notified in writing and you will be provided the remaining search time. For example, you were issued a voucher on March 1, 2022 with an expiration date of April 30, 2022. You turn in an RTA on March 15, 2022 but it is denied on March 30, 2022. Including the day you turned it in, the RTA took 16 days to process which means your voucher was suspended for 16 days. These days are automatically added as a mandatory extension and your voucher would now expire on May 16, 2022.

Voucher Extensions  
Except for inbound portable families, on vouchers issued for 120 days, you may request a one-time, 60-day extension to the voucher, giving you a total of 180 days to locate a unit and submit the RTA. Extensions can be requested by visiting https://mdvoucher.com/en-US/QuickValidationPages/View/48/voucher-extension-request and should be requested at least one week prior to the expiration date of your voucher. If someone in your family is a person with disabilities, you can request a reasonable accommodation to have your voucher term extended over 180 days. For families moving to Miami-Dade County under portability rules, MDHCV will automatically provide 30 additional days from the expiration date or the extension expires date, whichever is later. However, MDHCV will not provide any additional time beyond this initial 30 day extension. Hearings or informal reviews are not approved and will not be held for denials of extension or expiration of the voucher term.