Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2007

The Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2007 (H.R.1851) was a bill in the 110th Congress "to reform the housing choice voucher program under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937. " (Official title.)

Current status


Bill summary

 * Requires biennial inspections of each assisted housing unit to make sure that the unit is maintained according to the required standards (sec. 2).


 * Allows the public housing agency to establish a tenant rent structure that is based on the rental value of the unit and adjusted according to inflation, is tiered according to the income-level of the tenant, and calculates the rent based on a percentage of family income (sec. 3).


 * Provides funding for any public housing agency that participates in the Moving to Work program or housing innovation program (sec. 6).


 * Allows a public housing agency to provide a down-payment assistance grant not exceeding $10,000 instead of monthly assistance payments to aid in the purchase of a home (sec. 8).


 * Creates the Housing Innovation Program to increase the housing opportunities for low-income families and provide financial incentives to families to obtain employment (sec. 16).


 * Requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to increase access for persons with limited English proficiency by developing a housing information resource center that provides translations of written materials and a toll-free customer service hotline (sec. 18).


 * Appropriates as much funding as is necessary to assist 20,000 dwelling units each year for the fiscal years 2008 through 2012 (sec. 20).

Key votes
Vote to pass a bill that makes changes to the requirements, availability, funding, and use of the housing voucher program.





Supporters

 * National Association of Realtors
 * National Low Income Housing Coalition

Articles and resources

 * Maxine Waters US Representative House Overwhelmingly Passes Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2007 July 13, 2007.


 * Center for American Progress Securing Decent Homes For All: The Ins and Outs of Housing Vouchers July 11, 2007.