Policies

Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) Policies

Some guidelines for how the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) is to be administered are established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at the federal level, and must be followed by all public housing agencies. Other policies are set at the local level. Pensacola Housing's HCV Program Administrative Plan is the document used to set policies for administering the HCV Program in Escambia County, Florida. The current version of the Administrative Plan was approved by Pensacola City Council on February 24, 2022.

The full plan is available as a set of pdf files below (download Adobe Reader). The first file contains the Admin Plan in its entirety; the other files are individual chapters. All files are fully searchable. To perform a keyword search, open the pdf file and press Ctrl plus F on your keyboard. A "Find" field appears. Type the word you want to search for in the field, then hit Enter. Adobe will highlight the first instance of the word. Use the right-arrow to find the next instance of the word. If the word doesn't appear, you'll see a "No matches were found" message.

Complete Administrative Plan (PDF, 1.1 MB)

Chapter 1 - Program Overview (PDF, 75 KB)

  • Goals of the Pensacola Housing Office
  • Summary of the HCV Program
  • Special Purpose Voucher Programs
  • Purpose of the Administrative Plan
  • Adherence to the PHA Plan
  • Funding of Operating Expenses
  • Uses of CARES Act Waivers as a Responses to COVID-19
  • Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) Service Fees

Chapter 2 - Applicant Eligibility (PDF, 119 KB)

  • Definition of Family
  • Other Definitions
  • Income Eligibility
  • Mandatory Social Security Numbers
  • Citizenship/Eligible Non-Citizen Status
  • Criminal History Requirements and Other Admission Criteria
  • Notice to Owners Regarding Additional Tenant Screening

Chapter 3 - Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (PDF, 105 KB)

  • Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
  • Role of Advocates and Translators
  • The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
  • Accessibility to Persons with Disabilities
  • Reasonable Accommodations Policy
  • Policy on Live-In Aides
  • Alternate Forms of Communication
  • Services for Non-English Speaking Applicants and Participants

Ch 4 - Responsibilities and Obligations (PDF, 79 KB)

  • Pensacola Housing Office Responsibilities
  • Owner Responsibilities
  • Family Obligations

Ch 5 - The Application and Voucher Issuance Process (PDF, 99 KB)

  • Reasonable Accommodation during the Application Process
  • Managing the Waiting List
  • Families Nearing the Top of the Waiting List
  • Waiting List Admissions and Special Admissions
  • Pre-Certification
  • Eligibility Briefing
  • Issuance of Voucher
  • Missed Appointments
  • Grounds for Denial

Ch 6 - HCV Project-Based Program (PDF, 98 KB)

  • Project Selection Criteria
  • Eligible Owners of Project-Based Housing
  • Project Selection Process
  • Other Policies for Project-Based Vouchers


Ch 7 - Subsidy Standards and Occupancy Standards (PDF, 82 KB)

  • Determining Voucher Size
  • Occupancy Standards
  • Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities
  • Changes to Household Composition
  • Under-housed and Over-housed Families

Ch 8 - TTP, Family Share and Tenant Rent (PDF, 116 KB)

  • Income and Allowances
  • Disallowance of Earned Income for Persons with Disabilities
  • Minimum Rent
  • Minimum Income / Zero Reported Income
  • Regular Contributions and Gifts
  • Other Sources of Nonwage Income
  • Lump-Sum Payments
  • Income from Assets
  • Qualified Expenses
  • Proration of Assistance for Mixed Families
  • Income Changes Resulting from Welfare Program Requirements

Ch 9 - Utility Estimate Schedule and Payment Standards (PDF, 75 KB)

  • Utility Estimate Schedule
  • Payment Standards

Ch 10 - Verification Procedures (PDF, 145 KB)

  • Timeframes for Verification
  • Methods of Verification
  • Use of the EIV Income Discrepancy Report
  • Verification of Income
  • Verification of Student Status
  • Verification of Assets and Asset Income
  • Verification of Allowable Deductions from Income
  • Verification of Social Security Numbers
  • Verification of Other Non-Financial Factors

Ch 11 - Utilizing the Enterprise Income Verification System (EIV) (PDF, 91 KB)

  • Demonstrating Compliance with Mandatory Use of EIV
  • Debts Owed to PHAs and Termination Module
  • Screening Families Through EIVs' Former Tenant Search Module
  • Mandatory Monitoring of EIV Reports
  • Income Discrepancy Resolutions
  • EIV Security Measures

Ch 12 - RTAs and HAP Contract Execution (PDF, 69 KB)

  • Approval to Lease a Unit
  • Lease Start Dates
  • Execution of the HAP Contract
  • Eligible and Ineligible Housing Types
  • Security Deposits

Ch 13 - HQS and Inspection Policies (PDF, 109 KB)

  • Acceptability Criteria [24 CFR 982.401(a)]
  • Types of Inspections
  • Time Standards for Repairs
  • Owner Self-Certification of Minor Fail Items
  • HQS and Rent Increases
  • Additions to the HQS Acceptability Criteria
  • Owner/Family Responsibilities for HQS
  • Emergency Fail Items
  • Lead-Based Paint Regulations
  • Abatement of the HAP
  • Termination of Contract
  • HQS for Reasonable Modifications

Ch 14 - Rent Reasonableness (PDF, 67 KB)

  • Comparability
  • Methodology
  • Rent Reasonableness Restrictions for Owners
  • Rent Reasonableness and Affordability

Ch 15 - HAP Payments and Other Information for Owners (PDF, 84 KB)

  • Required Owner Paperwork
  • Out-of-State Limited Liability Companies
  • Execution of the HAP Contract
  • HAP Payments to Owners
  • Disapproval of Owners
  • Renting to Relatives
  • Assigning an Agent or Property Manager
  • Changes in Unit Ownership or Management
  • Changing the Lease or the Contract Rent

Ch 16 - Recertifications (PDF, 101 KB)

  • Regularly Scheduled Annual Activities
  • Annual Recertification/Reexamination
  • Reporting Interim Changes
  • Special Reexaminations

Ch 17 - Changes in Household Composition (PDF, 81 KB)

  • Adding Household Members
  • Removing Household Members
  • Absent Household Members
  • Caretaker for Children
  • Visitors/Unauthorized Adults in Unit
  • Visiting Minors and College Students
  • Break-up of the Household

Ch 18 - Moves with Continued Assistance / Portability (PDF, 84 KB)

  • When a Family May Move
  • Procedures Regarding Participant Moves
  • Portability
  • Denial of Requests to Move or Port Due to Insufficient Funding

Ch 19 - Termination of the HAP Contract (PDF, 75 KB)

  • HAP Contract Terminates with Lease
  • Termination of the HAP Contract by Pensacola Housing
  • Automatic Termination of the HAP Contract
  • Final Housing Assistance Payments

Ch 20 - Denial and Termination of Assistance (PDF, 77 KB)

  • Denial of Assistance
  • Termination of Assistance
  • Considering Circumstances
  • Terminations Due to Insufficient Funding

Ch 21 - Debts and Repayment Agreements (PDF, 77 KB)

  • File Documentation
  • Methods of Debt Collection
  • Payment Agreements for Participants
  • Requests to Move from Participants with Debts
  • Owner Debts to Pensacola Housing
  • Maintaining Debt Records

Ch 22 - Complaints, Reviews and Hearings (PDF, 90 KB)

  • Complaints
  • Informal Reviews for Applicants
  • Informal Hearings for Participants
  • When a Hearing is Not Required

Ch 23 - Program Integrity (PDF, 93 KB)

  • Distinguishing Between Errors and Omissions Versus Abuse and Fraud
  • Fraud Prevention

Ch 24 - Appendices (PDF, 289 KB)

  • Appendix 1: Using the EIV Income Discrepancy Report
  • Appendix 2: HCV Program Participants and Identity Theft
  • Appendix 3: Acronyms
  • Appendix 4: Glossary of Terms
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