Papers people often need
This is a common list, not your housing authority’s list. The authority’s own application page is the one that counts. Applying is free.
This is not legal advice and not a decision by a housing authority. Applying for a voucher is free.
Before you gather papers
A housing authority publishes the list it wants when its waitlist is open. Bring what that page names. Do not pay a person or a website for a packet, a place in line, or a voucher.
Send copies when you can. Keep the originals of birth certificates, Social Security cards, and immigration papers.
Papers adults are often asked for
- A photo ID for each adult.
- Social Security cards, or another paper the authority accepts, for each person who has a number.
- Proof of every kind of income: recent pay stubs, a benefit letter, child support, or a pension statement.
- Recent bank statements, if the application asks about money in accounts.
- A current lease, a rent receipt, or a letter from the person you live with, if they ask where you live now.
Papers for children and for a disability request
- Birth certificates or another proof of age for children in the household.
- Proof of custody or a foster-care placement, if a child lives with you and the authority asks.
- A note about a disability only if you are asking for a deduction, a live-in aide, or another accommodation. You do not have to send a diagnosis to join most lists.
If you do not have something
Ask the housing authority what it will accept instead. Many authorities will take another official paper, or will give you time after they pull your name from the list. A missing paper is not a reason to pay a third party.
Where this comes from
- HUD Housing Choice Voucher guidebook, for the kinds of facts an authority verifies.
- The housing authority’s own application page, for the exact list.