Los Angeles comes in right behind the Bay Area as one of the most expensive places to live in California. On average, renters in LA spend on average $2,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, almost double the national average of $977 per month. In order to help low-income families and individuals, the state of California offers a housing assistance program to those living in LA and other cities.
LA Section 8 Housing
The Housing Choice Program, also called Section 8, is a federally funded program that provides housing assistance to low-income families, disabled individuals, and the elderly. Although the program receives federal funding, each state operates on its own, reviewing applications and providing vouchers to those who qualify. Local public housing departments administer the programs in each city or county, and in Los Angeles, the vouchers come from the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) or the Housing Authority of Los Angeles Count (HACoLA).
More than 3.9 million people live in Los Angeles, and the poverty rate in the city is 20.4%, which means more than a fifth of the residents fall below the national poverty line. Such an overwhelming demand for housing assistance results in a long waiting period and frequent closures of the application process. In 2017, the HACLA accepted new applications for vouchers for the first time since 2004. Both the HACLA and HACoLA have currently closed the waiting lists for their offered programs.
Those who applied for the program prior to the waitlist’s closing may still be eligible to receive a voucher. Upon receiving a voucher, an eligible individual can then start looking for Section 8 apartments LA. The LA County Housing Resource Center website includes maps and lists of low-income housing, including places designated for veterans and seniors as well as those that qualify under the Section 8 program. Other resources include apartment rental sites that show whether a listing accepts a Section 8 voucher LA.
Finding Section 8 Apartments LA
A rental property must meet certain safety and sanitation requirements as outlined by the program, and the landlord must agree to regular inspections. Upon entering into the lease, the renter agrees to pay their portion of the rent directly to the landlord, while the remainder will come from the HACLA or HACoLA.
In Los Angeles, the demand for housing assistance is so high that the city has started leveraging additional resources for those in need. One of these resources is the Backyard Homes Project, which allows homeowners to rent out their units in exchange for building an accessory dwelling unit. In order to qualify for the project, a homeowner must agree to rent out their home to a Section 8 voucher holder for at least five years. This program caps rent at $1,279 for a studio, $1,668 for a one-bedroom, and $2,151 for a two-bedroom per month.
In June of 2019, the City Council of Los Angeles voted unanimously to make it illegal for a landlord to turn away a prospective renter on the basis of having a government-funded housing voucher. This marks a major change for the city, as a 2018 study reported that more than three-quarters of landlords in LA were refusing them. The motion bans discrimination based on a renter’s source of income and aims to reduce the struggle associated with finding affordable housing in LA.
Since landlords cannot discriminate against renters who hold Section 8 housing vouchers, it’s helpful for them to understand the program and the requirements of renting to someone who qualifies for assistance. The availability of Section 8 rentals LA should increase based on the change, although the demand is still quite high.
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