Section 8

Housing Choice Voucher Program
12 Congress Street
Troy, NY 12180
Phone: (518) 271-8353
Fax: (518) 271-8598

WAITING LIST IS CURRENTLY CLOSED TO NEW APPLICATIONS

If you are a current Section 8 resident, please see your caseworker for the latest list of available apartments.

If you are a landlord looking to put your property on the Section 8 Available Housing List. Please complete the AVAILABLE HOUSING FORM.

Completed forms can me emailed to section8@troyhousing.org or mailed to the Section 8 Office at 12 Congress Street Troy, NY 12180.

Office Hours:
Monday and Friday – Appointment Only
Tuesday and Thursday – Appointment Only
Wednesday – 9am to 3pm (Walk-in Only)

• Payment Standards
• Income Guidelines
• Reasonable Accommodation

One of the features of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program is the mobility of the assistance. Section 8 of The United States Housing Act of 1937 provides that Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher participants may transfer to a housing authority anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands provided the housing authority administering the tenant-based voucher program has jurisdiction over the area where the participant wants to transfer.

The term “portability” refers to the process of leasing or purchasing a dwelling unit with housing choice voucher tenant-based assistance outside of the jurisdiction of the housing authority that initially issues the household its voucher (the Initial Public Housing Agency). Program regulations covering where a household may move and the responsibilities of the Initial Public Housing Agency and the Public Housing Agency with jurisdiction over the area to which the household moves are found at 24 CFR sections 982.353 through 982.355. (Receiving Public Housing Agency)

Applicant Family Requests Portability

STEP 1: Notify Your Housing Agency That You Want to Port to the Troy Housing Authority
You should notify your Initial Housing Agency (IHA) to let them know you want to move to Troy, NY. Your agency is the “Initial Agency” if you plan to port to the Troy Housing Authority. The Troy Housing Authority will be the Receiving Housing Agency (RHA). The Initial Housing Agency (IHA) must mail or email the Portability Packet to the following address:

Troy Housing Authority
Attention: Portability – 12 Congress Street Troy, NY 12180

Email: portability@troyhousing.org

Portability Packets will not be accepted if faxed or carried by the participant by hand. It may take approximately 2 to 4 weeks for the Portability Department to receive your paperwork in the office. You must contact the Troy Housing Authority at 518-271-8353 ext. 208 to see if your portability packet has been received. You can also check your status by emailing portability@troyhousing.org.

STEP 2: Complete the Intake Personal Declaration Packet
Once it has been confirmed that your Portability Packet has been received you will need to provide THA with an email or mailing address. The Portability Intake Packet will be emailed or mailed to you to be completed and returned to the Troy Housing Authority.

Listed below are the required documents that MUST be sent with your Intake Packet:

1. Current valid photo identification for all adults, 18 years old and over
2. Copies of Birth certificates for everyone in the household
3. Copies of Social Security cards for everyone in the household
4. Proof of any and all sources of income, including cash gifts
5. If you have a bank account-last three months bank statements. This also includes; Cash App, Apple Pay, Chime, Venmo, PayPal, all debit or credit cards, Express Card, etc.

Note the following:

• Interviews are scheduled Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday by phone between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• A person with disabilities can request assistance completing documents and/or understanding the intake process when scheduling a phone interview.
• If you need a translator or reasonable accommodations, inform the Troy Housing Authority’s staff at the time when you are given your appointment for phone interview.
• All adults 18 years and over listed in the household composition must sign all forms.
• THA will not add any family members to your household, you must contact your Initial Housing Agency to add or change family members. Your Initial Agency will need to send new documents with the new family members listed.
• If you have a Reasonable Accommodation, please bring documentation with you. Your Initial Housing Agency must send documentation with your portability packet.

Some documents may be sent by the IHA, i.e. Photo ID for other adults not the head of household, birth certificates, social security cards, income, bank statements, etc. If these documents are not sent by the IHA to the Orlando Housing Authority, the participant must provide the original documents.

STEP 3: Intake Interview
Phone Intake interviews will be scheduled when ALL forms in the Intake packet have been received, including all required documents. NOTE: Failure to provide the required documents by the due date to complete your intake interview, can result in your portability being canceled and your portability packet may be returned to your Initial Housing Agency.

The Troy Housing Authority does not determine the eligibility of the portable household; you have been determined eligible by your Initial Housing Agency. Our responsibility, as the receiving PHA, is to make sure that all documentation, signatures and/or verification required by this Agency and HUD are in the participant’s file. However, porting families must meet the income guidelines of the Troy Housing Authority. Click here to view the income limits on the Troy Housing Authority website.

No appointment for phone interview will be given if your annual income exceeds the income limits of the Troy Housing Authority.

The Troy Housing Authority may reject households that have been involved in drug-related and/or violent criminal activity within the last three (3) years or who may be on active probation. It is the policy of the Troy Housing Authority to deny program participation to families who have criminal activities within three (3) years as indicated above. If you or any household member have been convicted of any drug related and/or violent criminal activities within the last three (3) years, your portability may be denied, and your port papers will be returned to your Initial Housing Agency. If you are denied, you have the right to request an informal hearing. However, the clock will continue running on your voucher.

STEP 4: Briefing & Voucher Issuance
The head of household will receive an email to attend the HCV/Section 8 Briefing. Once the Intake Process has been completed and all documents have been received and placed in participants file. All adult household members are required to attend the briefing. If you need a translator or reasonable accommodations, please inform the Intake Specialist when you have your telephone interview.

The bedroom size on your voucher will be changed to the occupancy standards approved by the Troy Housing Authority Administrative Plan. See the Troy Housing Authority occupancy standards listed below:

OCCUPANCY STANDARDS

As of January 2025

Guidelines For Determining Voucher Size
The bedroom size of your voucher will be provided at the briefing.

• 0 Bedroom (voucher size minimum)
  1 Persons in Household Minimum/Maximum
• 1 Bedroom (voucher size minimum)
  1 Persons in Household Minimum
  2 Persons in Household Maximum
• 2 Bedrooms (voucher size minimum)
  2 Persons in Household Minimum
  4 Persons in Household Maximum
• 3 Bedrooms (voucher size minimum)
  3 Persons in Household Minimum
  6 Persons in Household Maximum
• 4 Bedrooms (voucher size minimum)
  4 Persons in Household Minimum
  8 Persons in Household Maximum
• 5 Bedrooms (voucher size minimum)
  5 Persons in Household Minimum
  10 Persons in Household Maximum
• 6 Bedrooms (voucher size minimum)
  8 Persons in Household Minimum
  12 Persons in Household Maximum

STEP 5: Inspection of Dwelling Unit
All dwelling units in the Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher Program must meet Housing Quality Standards (HQS). The Troy Housing Authority must inspect the unit and verify that it meets Housing Quality Standards. HQS inspections can take approximately 7 to 14 business days to be scheduled after you turn in the “Request for Tenancy Approval” packet.

Promotes the development of local strategies to coordinate public and private resources that help housing choice voucher program participants and residents of the Troy Housing Authority obtain employment that will enable participating families to achieve economic independence and reduce dependence on welfare assistance and rental subsidies.

Nature of Program: The FSS program is administered by the Troy Housing Authority’s FSS Coordinators. The THA and an adult member of each participating family execute a Contract of Participation, generally for five years with a possible two-year extension for good cause, incorporating the specific training and services plan for the family. Participating families are provided with an interest-bearing escrow account made up of the difference of the rent the family pays when entering the program and the increased rent that would be charged as the family’s earned income increased. On completion of the FSS contract, a family may claim its escrow account, if the person who signs the Contract is employed, no family member is receiving welfare assistance, and the family has met their other individual goals.

FSS Coordinators in each local program build partnerships with employers and service providers in the community to help participants obtain jobs and services. These services may include childcare, transportation, basic adult education, job training, employment counseling, substance/alcohol abuse treatment, financial empowerment coaching, asset-building strategies, household skill training, homeownership counseling, and more.