The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, the nation’s largest rental assistance program, helps low-income families, the elderly and the disabled rent decent, safe and sanitary housing units in the private market. Each year, HCVs help lift more than one million people nation-wide out of poverty and give families the opportunity to move to safer, less poor neighborhoods. The HCV program offers a number of benefits to participating families, as well as communities as a whole, including:
- Reducing homelessness
- Increasing housing stability
- Reducing poverty
- Helping low-wage workers make ends meet
- Giving families access to safer neighborhoods with better schools and opportunities
- Allowing senior citizens and disabled individuals to live independently
- Reducing costs in health care and other public services
Anyone eligible to receive a Housing Choice Voucher must complete the HCV Briefing Module course prior to being issued their voucher.
The module walks tenants through the HCV program, how it works, and what to expect. It includes important information regarding your voucher, calculated rent, where you can live, apartment inspections, paying utilities, and more.
Access the HCV Online Briefing.
The HCV program was designed to expand housing choices for low-income families by allowing them to search for rental housing in the private market. Once a low-income family is invited to participate in the program, the HACP issues that family a housing voucher. The voucher identifies the size of unit the family qualifies for, as well as the maximum amount of monthly rent the family can afford to pay. Using the voucher information as a guideline, the voucher holder then searches for an affordable rental unit that best matches their family’s housing needs.
Are you a Housing Choice Voucher holder in need of a rental unit?
You can search for your next home under the Property Search.
The HCV program is best viewed as three separate partnerships: one between the HACP and program participants, another partnership between the HACP and property owners, and a third partnership between the property owner and their HCV program tenant family.
Please note: This page features resources for HCV tenants and applicants. HCV Landlords can find resources on the Landlord Resources page.
New HUD-required NSPIRE standards for Housing Choice Voucher Program participants (both tenants and landlords) went into effect on Oct. 1, 2025. Learn more on the Tenant Inspections page.
Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) Packet
Request For Tenancy Approval (RFTA) Packet
Request for Tenancy Approvals (RFTAs) should be sent to: hacp.rfta@hacp.gov.
Other completed forms should be emailed to: HCV@hacp.gov.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has outlined the Housing Choice Voucher Program and its guidelines in a user-friendly webpage.
The page provides an overview of the program and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Find the HUD HCV Applicant and Tenant Resources page.
Landlords working with the HACP Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) or interested in working with HACP can view the Authority’s Landlord Resources page for more detailed information about the program.