Opinion ID: 4561573
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Overview of Section 8 voucher program

Text: In 1974, Congress added the Section 8 housing program to the United States Housing Act of 1937 “[f]or the purpose of aiding low-income families in obtaining a decent place to live.” (42 U.S.C. § 1437f(a); see generally Friedman et al., Cal. Practice Guide: Landlord-Tenant (The Rutter Group 2019) ¶ 12.) The program gives eligible families either “tenant-based” or “project-based” rent subsidies administered locally through PHAs. (See Park Village Apartment Tenants Ass’n v. Mortimer Howard Trust (9th Cir. 2011) 636 F.3d 1150, 1152–1153 [overview of Section 8 housing assistance].) “ ‘[T]enant-based assistance’ ” is a rent subsidy that is tied to a specific family even if the family moves to other suitable housing. (42 U.S.C. 3 REILLY v. MARIN HOUSING AUTHORITY Opinion of the Court by Chin, J. § 1437f(f)(7).) “ ‘[P]roject-based assistance,’ ” on the other hand, is tied to a specific housing development or unit. (42 U.S.C. § 1437f(f)(6).) We focus on tenant-based assistance, which is at issue in this case. Under the tenant-based assistance program, at least 75% of all admitted families must be “[e]xtremely low[] income,” i.e., their income may not exceed 30% of the median income calculated by HUD for the relevant area (24 C.F.R. § 5.603(b) (2020)); and all remaining admitted families must be “[l]ow income,” i.e., their income may not exceed 50% of the median income. (Ibid.; id., § 982.201(b)(1), (2)(i) (2020) [eligibility and targeting].) After a Section 8 family selects an eligible rental unit approved by the applicable PHA, the PHA enters into a contract with the rental property owner. That owner “functions as a landlord in the private rental market. The owner signs a lease with the Section 8 tenant (which includes a HUD Lease/Tenancy Addendum) and also signs a Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract with the Housing Authority.” (Apartment Assn. of Los Angeles County, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles (2006) 136 Cal.App.4th 119, 123.) The PHA gives the subsidy payments directly to the property owner. (24 C.F.R. § 982.311(a) (2020).) As we explain below (see post, at p. 8), the amount of the housing subsidy depends in large part on the “annual income” the Section 8 family receives or expects to receive. (See 24 C.F.R. § 5.609(a) (2020); id. § 982.201(a), (b) (2020).) The issue is whether the IHSS payments Reilly receives to provide services to keep her developmentally disabled daughter at home are excluded from income under 24 Code of Federal Regulations part 5.609(c)(16) (2020). 4 REILLY v. MARIN HOUSING AUTHORITY Opinion of the Court by Chin, J.