The Northampton County Housing Authority (NCHA) administers a variety of housing programs in its quest to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for low to moderate income individuals, families, seniors and the disabled.
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), formerly known as “Section 8”, allows eligible participants who receive vouchers to search for their own privately owned housing, which may include single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments. The voucher program is a federally subsidized housing rental assistance program, funded and monitored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Applicants apply for the Voucher program with a pre application and get placed on a waiting list. NCHA follows HUD’s guidelines and issues 75% of all vouchers to families that meet HUD’s extremely low income limits each fiscal year. The housing authority will verify all gross income, assets and deductions at the time the families name comes up for a voucher based on selection criteria. NCHA will also perform criminal background checks and online checks. It is the family responsibility to keep NCHA updated on their address, income and family members in writing.
Please read carefully to determine if you meet both criteria.
Criteria: In order to apply for this program, you MUST be at or below the following extremely low income limits AND live, work or attend school in Northampton County EXCLUDING the cities of Easton and Bethlehem. If you do not meet both of these criteria your application would be denied.
| Family Size | Very Low Income | Extremely Low Income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $33,600 | $20,150 |
| 2 | $38,400 | $23,000 |
| 3 | $43,200 | $25,900 |
| 4 | $47,950 | $30,000 |
| 5 | $51,800 | $35,140 |
| 6 | $55,650 | $40,280 |
| 7 | $59,500 | $45,420 |
| 8 | $63,300 | $50,560 |
* Income limits are subject to change without notification.
* Income limits may vary by program, please call or email NCHA with any questions you may have.
NCHA has preferences for selecting applicants from the waiting list. They include: families displaced by government action, veterans, and people living, working or attending school in NCHA jurisdiction which excludes the cities of Easton and Bethlehem.
Current Participants find a rental unit that meets the requirements of the program. The unit must be inspected and be affordable. The family will pay a portion of the rent based on a percentage, roughly 30%, of their adjusted monthly income and the remaining housing subsidy is paid directly to the landlord by NCHA on behalf of the family. The family must follow HUD’s family obligations in accordance with the voucher program which include, reporting all income, reporting changes in household members, allowing yearly inspections, completing yearly recertifications, following their lease requirements, paying their portion of rent and utilities. NCHA does not pay security deposits for the participants, only rent.
EFFECTIVE 4/1/2023:
0-Bedroom: $967
1-Bedroom: $1,102
2-Bedroom: $1,396
3-Bedroom: $1,789
4-Bedroom: $1,875
5-Bedroom: $2,156
6-Bedroom: $2,438
SRO: $725
Incoming portability participants must have their current Housing Authority send their paperwork to NCHA before being given an appointment to meet with our staff. Please make sure you are searching for a unit within NCHA’s jurisdiction which excludes the cities of Easton or Bethlehem. Easton and Bethlehem have their own housing authorities.
Landlords play an important role in the voucher program because without them providing affordable housing for participants this program would cease to exist. Landlords screen prospective tenants, perform maintenance on the unit to keep it compliant with HUD’s Housing Quality Standards, signs a lease with the tenant, perform all management and rental functions, and sign a HAP contract with NCHA. The HAP payment is paid directly to the landlord. As a landlord if you have never participated with the voucher program but are interested or current landlords who have available units to list please contact our office for more information.
www.pahousingsearch.com Landlords and tenants alike may find this website useful to search for units or to list units for rent.
If you have been selected to receive a voucher and have been instructed to watch the briefing video
Please click the link below for a briefing video:
English- https://youtu.be/CBeROxitjgQ
Spanish- https://youtu.be/i7r0-PlOYSI
