Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher

At this time our waiting lists for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) are closed.

The North Central Florida Regional Housing Authority (NCFRHA) administers 392 Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) in the Counties of Levy, Gilchrist, and Wakulla.

What are Housing Choice Vouchers?

The Housing Choice Voucher Program is the Federal Government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private rental market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments.

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.

A family that is issued a Housing Choice 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 per the HUD Quality Standards (HQS).

A Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is paid to the landlord directly by NCFRHA 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.

Housing Vouchers - How do they function?

The Housing Choice Voucher Program places the choice of housing in the hands of an eligible individual family. A family is selected from our waiting list based on local preference and date and time of application. The family is encouraged to consider several housing choices to secure the best housing for the family needs. The voucher holder is advised of the unit size for which they are eligible based on family size and composition.

The housing unit selected by the family must meet an acceptable level of health and safety before NCFRHA can approve the unit. Once the voucher holder finds a unit that they wish to occupy and reaches an agreement with the landlord over the lease terms, the NCFRHA inspector and staff must inspect the dwelling and determine that the rent request is reasonable prior to the tenant moving in, if not already living in the unit.

NCFRHA determines a payment standard that is the amount generally needed to rent a moderately-priced dwelling in the local housing market and that is used to calculate the amount of housing assistance a family will receive. However, the payment standard does not limit and does not affect the amount of rent a landlord may charge or the family may pay. A family which receives a Voucher must select a unit within the payment standard. The Voucher family must pay approximately 30% of their monthly adjusted gross household income for rent and no more than 40% of their monthly adjusted gross income.

If you submitted an application with NCFRHA, call 352-486-5420 after 15 business days, which is equivalent to approximately one month, and follow prompts to check your status. If you call prior to the 15th business day, your application will still be pending approval. We are closed every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Legal Holiday. 

• NCFRHA will review applications for completion and initial eligibility requirements. 

• NCFRHA does not provide emergency housing.

• NCFRHA cannot anticipate when an applicant's name will be selected from the waiting list.

• NCFRHA will not provide additional information on waiting list status other than the information reflected on this website.

• Applicants will be notified by U.S. Postal Service standard mail of any scheduled appointments.

• It is the responsibility of the applicant to keep their address up to date and current with our agency. You may email, mail, or fax your address changes. Include your full name, the last four digits of your Social Security Number along with your new address.
  • You may email your address change. You will receive an email response as your receipt. Please keep this email for your records.
  • You may mail your address change to PO Box 38, Bronson, FL 32621.
  • You may fax your address change to 352-486-5423.

• NCFRHA is not responsible for any misdirected mail or email due to:
• an applicant's failure to report a change of address to NCFRHA; or
• address incorrectly listed on the application or update forms; or
• difficulties receiving mail from the specific address listed on the application or update form. (i.e., broken mailbox, Post Office delivery, the person at the mailing address did not give mail to the applicant, etc.)

• NCFRHA will not forward any undelivered mail that does not have a forwarding address on the returned envelope.