PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Section 8 Rental Assistance, also known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, is a program funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered by the City of Oceanside Neighborhood Services Department. This program assists "very low" income families, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities to pay their rent. Participants are responsible for an affordable portion of their rent based on their income, and the balance is paid directly to the rental owner by the Neighborhood Services Department.
The participant is responsible for locating a suitable unit and a rental owner who is willing to participate in the program. The unit may be a house, townhouse, condominium, apartment, or mobilehome. Before a unit may be subsidized it must meet HUD’s and the City's requirements of decent, safe, and sanitary housing.
PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY (PHA) PLAN
The PHA Plan includes an annual plan and a five-year plan. An annual plan provides comprehensive and specific information about the PHA's operation, policies, strategies, and resources to provide housing assistance to low-income families for the upcoming year. A five-year plan describes the PHA's mission and long-range goals and objectives for achieving its mission. Click on the link below to view the current plan.
Draft 2010-2015 Five-Year and 2010-2011 Annual Plans 
(728 KB)
Approved 2009-2010 Annual PHA Plan (52 KB)
Approved 2005-2009 Five-Year and 2005-2006 Annual Plan (496 KB)
Approved 2008-2009 Annual PHA Plan (79 KB)
Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan (216 KB)
YOU MAY QUALIFY IF:
Your income is under 50% of the County median income
Effective 3/19/2009 Maximum Income
|
50% of County Median Income |
30% of County Median Income |
| 1 Person |
$28,900 |
$17,350 |
| 2 Persons |
$33,050 |
$19,850 |
| 3 Persons |
$37,150 |
$22,300 |
| 4 Persons |
$41,300 |
$24,800 |
| 5 Persons |
$44,600 |
$26,800 |
| 6 Persons |
$47,900 |
$28,750 |
| 7 Persons |
$51,200 |
$30,750 |
| 8 Persons |
$54,500 |
$32,750 |
HOW TO APPLY
Pre-applications for the waiting list are accepted at 321 North Nevada Street, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and every other Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. All City offices are closed on alternate Fridays. If you meet the eligibility requirements, your name will be placed on the waiting list according to the date and time and any local preferences to which you may be entitled.
Federal (HUD) Income Targeting:
Federal regulations require that 75 percent of all new participants each year have very low incomes, which is equal to or less than 30 percent of the county median income (see the chart above). Therefore, the wait time may vary depending upon your income.
Local Preferences are:
- Involuntarily displaced by government action or natural disaster
- Veteran or spouse of a deceased veteran (deceased in year of pre-application)
- Resident of or employed in the City of Oceanside
The average wait is four to five years and there is no emergency housing. It is important to notify us in writing of any changes.
THE INTAKE PROCESS
When your name comes up on the waiting list, you will be scheduled by mail for an intake appointment. At this time, all information and preferences will be verified to determine if you are still eligible for the Rental Assistance Program.
Once eligible, you will be scheduled for a briefing appointment, which explains the program and your responsibilities. Your voucher will be issued to you at this briefing. Effective that date, you will have 60 days to find a suitable rental unit.
THE LEASING PROCESS
Once you have found a unit that passes inspection, with agreement of the rental owner, a contract and lease are entered into whereby the tenant pays the landlord a portion of the rent and the Housing and Neighborhood Services Department pays the balance. You will also be responsible for a security deposit.
PORT-IN PROCEDURES
This section is for families who receive their vouchers through one housing agency and wish to transfer their voucher to another housing agency. Unfortunately, we cannot accept a transfer to our jurisdiction unless we receive a portability packet from the initial housing agency. The initial housing agency should mail or fax the portability packet to our agency at the following address: City of Oceanside Housing and Neighborhood Services, Attn: Portability, 300 North Coast Highway, Oceanside, California 92054. Fax (760) 435-3387. Processing time is 14-30 days. It is important that the family have sufficient resources, including a place to stay and available funds to pay for temporary housing and other expenses, to carry them through the processing period. Sorry, but we do not have emergency assistance. Since the policies and procedures of the receiving housing agency apply, some of the policies a transferring family should be aware of include:
- We research criminal history of all incoming transfers and will not process the transfer if anyone in the household has engaged in certain criminal activities, including violent and drug-related criminal offenses
- We may reduce the voucher size
- Our payment standards may be lower
- For an admission at the initial housing agency, the family income may exceed our income limits, and the family may be ineligible for assistance at our agency
There are six housing agencies in San Diego County. We do not serve the following cities, and if you want to move to those cities, you must contact them directly:
- San Diego County Housing Authority, includes the unincorporated areas of the county and the cities of Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, El Cajon, Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach and Vista, at (858) 694-4831
- Encinitas Housing Authority, including Cardiff, at (760) 633-2723
- Carlsbad City Housing Authority at (760) 434-2810
- National City Housing Authority at (619) 336-4263
- San Diego Housing Commission, including San Ysidro, at (619) 231-9400
If you are moving outside of San Diego County and do not know the address for the Housing Authority in the area you are moving to, this link may help you: http://www.affordablehousingonline.com/housingauthoritysearch.asp
It will be necessary to provide the following information at your interview:
- Current proof of income (pay stubs, award letter for Social Security benefits, Unemployment, Child Support, CalWorks, etc.)
- Current proof of any asset (all pages of current bank statements, trust funds, life insurance, etc.)
- Birth certificates and social security cards for all household members
- Picture identification for all adults
- Legal immigration documents for all household members (if applicable)
The interview/briefing is very important. You will need to attend and provide all the necessary verifications requested before we can approve you for assistance. We require all household members 18 years or older to attend the interview and show their picture identifications. We cannot process the transfer until the family attends the interview. Failure to attend the interview may be grounds for denial/termination of assistance. After the interview, we will issue a voucher and a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) form. We must receive the RFTA on or before the date the voucher expires. We cannot process the RFTA until the family passes the criminal history verification, and the unit selected must be rent-reasonable and affordable. After we approve the RFTA, we will schedule an inspection. Assistance will begin only after the unit passes an inspection, and the landlord enters into a lease with the family and signs our Housing Assistance Payment Contract.
FAIR HOUSING RIGHT
The law says you cannot be denied housing by a rental owner on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, family status, or mental or physical disability. HUD Fair Housing: 1-800-669-9777.
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
The law provides rights for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher participants and applicants who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. Click on the following link for more information regarding VAWA.
Notice to Oceanside Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Participants (41 KB)
LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES
The Housing Resources Directory 2008-10 is now available. Inside, you will find a wealth of information about housing programs offered by the county, as well as listings of affordable housing complexes, and much more.
For more information about the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.
www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/hcv/about/fact_sheet.cfm
San Diego County Housing Authority www.sdcounty.ca.gov/sdhcd
San Diego Housing Commission www.sdhc.net
National City Housing Authority www.ci.national-city.ca.us
Encinitas Housing Authority www.ci.encinitas.ca.us/Resident/HomeAP/OusingG/
Carlsbad Housing Authority www.ci.carlsbad.ca.us/housing/eligible.html
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