The Section 8 Program is a federally funded housing initiative designed to assist low-income households in obtaining affordable, decent, safe, and sanitary housing. Eligible households receive a rental voucher, and monthly housing assistance payments are made directly to the property owner who leases the approved unit to the participating household.
These assistance payments cover the difference between the household’s required contribution and the approved contract rent for the unit. Participating households are responsible for paying 30% of their adjusted income toward rent. All units leased under the Section 8 Program must comply with federal Housing Quality Standards and undergo annual inspections to ensure continued compliance.
The Housing Division currently provides rental assistance to approximately 600 families each year.
For general questions regarding the Section 8 Program, you may contact us at (323) 563-9534.
Our in-person counter service hours are Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) - Section 8 waiting list for the South Gate Housing Authority is currently closed, we are not accepting applications at this time.
If you have previously applied for the South Gate Housing Authority Section 8 waiting list lottery and would like to know if you were selected, you may check your status by visiting https://www.waitlistcheck.com.
Program Rules
As a participant in the Section 8 Program, you are required to uphold specific responsibilities to both the property owner and the Housing Authority. You must comply fully with all provisions of your lease, including the prompt payment of rent and any utilities assigned to you. The assisted unit must serve as your sole and primary residence; subleasing, assigning the unit, or permitting unauthorized occupants is strictly prohibited.
All information submitted to the South Gate Housing Authority (SGHA) must be truthful, accurate, and complete. Participant responsibilities under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program are detailed in the Family Obligations(PDF, 207KB). It is imperative that you understand and adhere to these obligations, as any violation may result in the termination of your Housing Choice Voucher assistance and/or the denial of future eligibility.
Locating a Unit
If you are interested in searching for a new unit, you must provide your current landlord with a 60-day written notice of your intention to vacate and ensure that your rent is paid in full with no outstanding balances, a copy must be provided to the housing authority. The SGHA may provide vacancy listings, which include units offered by landlords willing to participate in the rental assistance program. Please note that these listings are provided for your convenience; however, you are not limited to the units on this list and may search for eligible units independently. There is no guarantee that these units are suitable for your household.
Be reminded that it is required for all units to pass inspection prior to move-in. You are not to move in prior to the unit passing inspection; if you move-in before the unit passes inspection, you are responsible for the entire rent until the unit passes inspection. You may refer to the List of Commonly Failed Items(PDF, 57KB) as a requirement guideline. If the unit fails the inspection, all failed items must be corrected before the subsidy begins.
If you are living in a house or apartment built before 1979 and you have children living with you under the age of 7, you should know about the hazard of lead-based paint. Lead Based Paint Information is available for your review.
Participant Responsibility for Reporting Changes
Report changes to income or household composition in writing within 30 days of the change using the Self Certification of Income Status and Family Composition(PDF, 264KB) form. The form must be completed, the original submitted to our office with supporting documentation.
The Section 8 Program provides rental assistance to eligible low-income families within the private rental market, enabling property owners to lease units to participating tenants. Assisted households select a unit from the private rental market, and the rental subsidy makes market-rate housing more affordable. Program participants generally pay no more than 40 percent of their monthly adjusted income toward rent and utilities. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) covers the remaining portion of the contract rent and is paid directly to the property owner.
Property owners who wish to list a rental unit for potential Section 8 tenants must complete a Vacancy Listing(PDF, 259KB) and submit to the South Gate Housing Authority (SGHA) office. All units must pass a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection before the subsidy can start. A HUD Inspection Checklist is available for you to use to prepare your unit for inspection. For detailed information on inspection standards, review A Good Place to Live(PDF, 354KB) published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Rent Increases
The South Gate Housing Authority requires owners who participate in the Section 8 Program to submit a 60-day written notice beginning the 1st of the month for all rent increases. Upon receipt of the rent increase proposal, the SGHA will determine rent reasonableness based on the HUD Small Area Fair Market Rent rates.
Fair Housing and Disability: Reasonable Accommodations
This video was designed to inform housing providers of their rights and responsibilities under state and federal housing laws. Problems may arise when rental property owners/resident managers do not understand their obligation to make changes in rules and policies in order to provide reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities. The SGHA makes every effort to reduce housing discrimination in all areas of housing. To obtain other fair housing information, please go to Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website provides tips for renters and landlords.
Need information about your legal rights? The California Department of Consumer Affairs has a Guide to Residential Tenants' and Landlords' Rights and Responsibilities.
Portability
Portability is the process that means you can move anywhere in the country that has a voucher program and take your assistance with you. The first step in any move is contacting your Housing Specialist. The portability process may take 30 to 60 days.
To be eligible to transfer (port) your Housing Choice Voucher to another Housing Authority, you need to meet certain requirements.
Here are some important things you should know if you decide to transfer your Housing Choice Voucher to another Housing Authority.
- You must complete the term of your lease agreement
- You must serve your landlord with a 60-day written notice to move from your present unit
- You must complete a Request for Portability(PDF, 93KB) form
Upon receipt of your notice to vacate and your intent to transfer, the SGHA will begin the process of issuing your moving voucher.
If you are receiving your voucher for the first time, the other Housing Authorities income limits will apply, and you may not be eligible for assistance at that location.
Always be conscious of your voucher's expiration date. You cannot receive assistance once your voucher expires. Please note, if other Housing Authority does not have enough time to process your voucher prior to its expiration, you may be denied assistance.
Keep in mind that some Housing Authorities are not accepting transfers to their area. It is very important to note, all Housing Authorities have different policies and procedures. You are responsible to abide by policies and procedures of the new Housing Authority. You may receive a reduction in the number of bedrooms allowed on your voucher, because the new Housing Authority may have different subsidy standards.
Please contact the Housing Authority you wish to transfer to, to find out if it is accepting incoming portability transfers at this time, their processing times, income limits, payment standards, availability of rental units, average rents, and other information that may affect your benefits.
You will need adequate resources to provide for your living expenses and move-in costs while your assistance is being processed. Assistance is never processed retroactively, if you move into a unit before inspection and contract are completed, you are responsible for the full rent.
This section is for families who receive their vouchers through one Housing Authority and wish to transfer their voucher to the South Gate Housing Authority. We are currently accepting and billing ports from other Housing Authorities. An incoming transfer takes approximately 30 to 45 days to process, once we receive the paperwork from the applicant's initial housing agency.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept a transfer to our jurisdiction unless we receive a portability packet from the initial housing agency. Portability packets will not be accepted if faxed or hand carried by participant. The initial Housing Authority should mail or e-mail the portability packet to the SGHA at the following addresses:
South Gate Housing Authority
Attn.: Portability
8650 California Avenue
South Gate, CA 90280
Fsalceda@sogate.org
(323) 357-5825
It is important the family has sufficient resources, including a place to stay and available funds to pay for temporary housing and other expenses, to carry them through the processing period.
Since the policies and procedures of the receiving Housing Authority apply, some of the policies transferring policies and procedures to be aware of include:
- Reduction of voucher size
- Lowering of payment standards
- For an admission at the Initial Housing Authority, the family income may exceed our income limits and they may be ineligible for assistance at our agency.
Once we receive a portability packet, we will send the family an appointment letter requesting documentation and a new certification packet. The certification packet includes the following:
- Appointment letter (informing family when their appointment is and confirmation that we have received the portability packet).
- Personal Declaration and Authorization to Release.
Please make sure all paperwork in the certification packet is complete prior to coming in for your appointment. The following documents are requested in order to expedite your portability:
- Current proof of income (4 current pay stubs, award letter for Social Security benefits, Unemployment, Child Support, CalWorks, etc.).
- Current (dated within 30 days of scheduled appointment) proof of any asset (all pages of current bank statements, trust funds, life insurance, etc.).
- Birth Certificates and Social Security Cards for all household members
- Current picture identification for all adults in the household
- Legal immigration documents for all household members (if applicable)
You will need to provide all the necessary verifications requested before we can approve you for assistance. Again, the approval process may take 30-45 days. Failure to provide your paperwork may result in delay and/or termination of your rental assistance.
Once the paperwork is reviewed and approved, we will issue a voucher and a Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA). We must receive the RTA on or before the date your voucher expires. We cannot process an RTA that is missing information. Once we receive a completed RTA along with the required documents listed on the RTA we can begin processing it.
After we approve the RTA, we will schedule a unit inspection. Assistance will begin only after the unit passes an inspection, we authorize move-in, a lease agreement is executed, and the landlord signs a Housing Assistance Payment Contract.
Finding a unit is your responsibility. For a list of available units please come into our office and view our vacancy listings.
Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009
On May 20, 2009 the President signed into law the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act which requires that new owners, who take possession of property through foreclosure, must take such possession subject to any existing Section 8 leases and Housing Assistance Payment contracts attached to that property. Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders have new rights regarding eviction from units that have been foreclosed upon.
The new owner or corporation, who own residential property as a result of foreclosure, must follow these rules:
- Section 8 tenants who have a lease for a fixed term, such as one year, and the lease has not yet expired, have a right to remain in the unit and cannot be evicted (except for good cause actions that apply to any lease) until the end of the lease term.
- If a tenant's lease ends in less than 90 days, the new owner may not evict the tenant without giving a minimum of 90-day notice.
- The new owner simply wanting the property vacant is not a good cause for terminating tenancy or evicting.
- There is one exception to the rule that a tenant may not be evicted during the term of lease: if the new owner who acquired the property at foreclosure wants to occupy the unit as his or her primary residence, that owner may provide a 90 day notice to the tenant to vacate the home, even if the tenant's lease extends longer than 90 days.
If you happen to be in this situation and a new owner tells you that you must leave, offers you money to leave, or gives you a notice of eviction, you should contact the SGHA as soon as possible.
The annual PHA plan is available for public review here(PDF, 258KB).
The following is a list of different forms, flyers, brochures, booklets, and pamphlets available at the South Gate Housing Authority (SGHA):
- A Good Place to Live(PDF, 354KB) : Booklet helps persons to understand what the housing quality standards are and why they are important.
- Authorization for the Release of Information Form - HUD : The HUD Authorization for the Release of Information must be signed by all adult family members. This form is usually provided along with the Personal Declaration form or the Waiting List Update of Family Circumstances form.
- Declaration of Section 214 Status Form(PDF, 80KB) : Form is provided at the time of a waiting list appointment. Each family member must have one completed by the actual person unless the family member is a minor. If the family member is a minor, then the legal guardian completes the form. Form is also provided for a participant on the program who is adding someone to their case.
- Direct Deposit(PDF, 764KB) Slip: Bank of America direct deposit program for landlords to enroll in order to receive rental payment in the form of an electronic payment transfer into ones personal account.
- Fair Housing - Equal Opportunity for All(PDF, 3MB) : Booklet provides information on Fair Housing.
- Family Obligations(PDF, 207KB): Form is provided to the family at the time of admission, annual reexamination or when family is adding a family member.
- Fraud(PDF, 66KB) : Fraud is generally defined in the law as an intentional misrepresentation of material existing fact made by one person to another with knowledge of its falsity and for the purpose of inducing the other person to act, and upon which the other person relies with resulting injury or damage. Fraud may also be made by an omission or purposeful failure to state material facts, which nondisclosure makes other statements misleading
- Housing Assistance Payment Contract : Housing Choice Voucher Program Contract (Section 8)
- Lead-Based Paint Information : Form is provided at the time of the Briefing Session, regarding Lead -based Paint Poisoning.
- Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form(PDF, 140KB) : Persons with Disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation.
- Request for Portability(PDF, 140KB) : Form provided when Participants request to transfer to another Housing Authority.
- Request for Tenancy Approval(PDF, 2MB) : Forms included in the RTA packet; this form gives a brief summary of the policies and procedures for the Rental Assistance Program.
- Self Certification of Income Status and/Family Composition(PDF, 264KB) : Existing program participants must complete this when reporting any changes
- Things You Should Know:(PDF, 45KB) This form is mailed with the annual renewal packet to program participants.
- What You Should Know About EIV Form(PDF, 427KB) : The Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) system is a web-based computer system that contains employment and income information of individuals who participate in HUD rental assistance programs. All Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) are required to use HUD’s EIV system.
- Vacancy Listing(PDF, 259KB) : Form provided to Owners when they have a Vacant Unit they would like to place in the listing provided to Section 8 Participants.