Section 8 in Joliet: The Housing Authority of Joliet and the Housing Choice Voucher Program

The Housing Choice Voucher program, still widely called Section 8, helps households with low incomes pay rent on homes in the private market. In Joliet the local agency that runs it is the Housing Authority of Joliet (HAJ). This guide covers what HAJ does, how to contact it, how the voucher program works under HUD rules, and the Illinois law that bars landlords from turning away renters because they use a voucher.

What the Housing Authority of Joliet administers

According to its website, HAJ runs three kinds of programs:

• Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program: rental assistance used with private landlords.
• Public Housing program: housing owned and managed by the authority.
• Market-rate affordable housing: properties with their own separate waiting lists.

HAJ's HCV program page says the program provides assistance through private landlords for 1,330 families and individuals in Will County. It also administers approximately 200 vouchers for other housing authorities whose participants have moved ("ported") their vouchers to Will County.

Office address and contact

The office hours page states that the office is closed to the public on Wednesdays for administrative reasons and lists the holidays it observes.

Waiting list status

HAJ's waiting list status page says the Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is closed and has not accepted new applications since March 2010, and that the agency can't say when it will reopen. When pre-applications do reopen, HAJ says it will post an announcement on its website, publish notices in local and minority newspapers and notify local service agencies.

HAJ's separate property waiting lists open and close on their own schedules; check the home page for current notices.

Because demand for vouchers is high, HUD notes that applicants may need to apply to more than one housing agency's waiting list, and that you don't have to live in an agency's jurisdiction to apply. An agency may require a family that lived outside its jurisdiction when it applied to live inside it for the first 12 months of assistance. HUD's Public Housing Agency directory, linked from the same page, lists other agencies.

How the Housing Choice Voucher program works

This summary follows HUD's tenant resources page. Your housing agency's own administrative plan controls the details.

Eligibility

• Eligibility depends on annual household income and family size, compared with HUD's income limits for the area. Generally, families must be extremely low-income or very low-income.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens as HUD defines them.
• The head of household must have a valid Social Security number.
• Some criminal history can make an applicant ineligible.

From waiting list to lease

1. Selection. When your name reaches the top of the list, the agency verifies your eligibility and income. Keep your address, phone number and household size current with the agency, or you can be removed from the list.
2. Briefing and voucher. You attend a voucher orientation briefing, and the agency issues a voucher with a search period of 60 to 120 days, set by the agency. You can ask for an extension if you can't find a unit in time.
3. Request for Tenancy Approval. Once you find a unit, you and the landlord complete the Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packet.
4. Inspection. The agency inspects the unit, which must meet health and safety standards. HAJ's landlord page says it performs NSPIRE inspections and gives owners a reasonable time to make repairs if a unit fails.
5. Rent reasonableness. The agency checks that the proposed rent is reasonable compared with similar unassisted units and may negotiate with the landlord.
6. Signing. You and the landlord sign a lease, and the agency signs a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract with the landlord.

Who pays what

• The family pays its Total Tenant Payment, usually 30% of adjusted monthly income. HUD says it can be as high as 40% of adjusted monthly income.
• The agency's payment standard is the most it will pay toward rent and utilities for a given unit size. It is not a rent cap; a family can choose a more expensive unit and pay the difference, within the limits above.
• The agency pays the Housing Assistance Payment directly to the landlord.

Payment standards are based on HUD's Fair Market Rents. HUD's FY 2027 documentation says all Housing Choice Voucher programs in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville HUD Metro FMR Area, which includes Will County, use Small Area FMRs set by ZIP code. HAJ links its current payment standards document from its landlord page. Our rent guide lists the FY 2027 Small Area FMRs for local ZIP codes.

Inspections and moving

HUD describes three kinds of inspections: initial (before move-in), periodic (usually every one to two years) and special (in response to complaints or emergencies). Vouchers are also portable: HUD says families can generally move with a voucher to any community in the U.S., subject to rules on how long they've had assistance and where they lived when they applied. Ask the issuing agency before you move.

For landlords

HAJ's landlord page outlines how to participate: approve the voucher holder as a tenant, complete the RFTA and landlord forms, pass the inspection, then sign the lease and HAP agreement. HAJ says owners can list available units with HAJ using its available-unit form or on GoSection8.com, at no cost in either place, and that HAJ does not steer families to particular owners. Owners can view HAP payment details through HAJ's Landlord Access portal.

Illinois source-of-income protection

Public Act 102-0896, effective January 1, 2023, amended the Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5) to make source of income a protected category in real estate transactions. The Act defines "source of income" as the lawful manner by which a person supports themselves and their dependents (775 ILCS 5/1-103(O-5)). Section 3-102 makes it a civil rights violation to refuse a transaction, change its terms or publish a discriminatory ad based on source of income.

The Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) Source of Income FAQ explains how this applies:

• Housing Choice Vouchers, other housing assistance, child support, Social Security, SSI, SSDI, veterans benefits and retirement income are protected sources.
• Ads such as "No Section 8" or "market rate tenants only" are prohibited.
• Landlords may verify income, but must accept proof of non-employment income the same way they accept pay stubs.
• A minimum-income requirement must count only the tenant's share of the rent. In IDHR's example, for a $2,000 unit with a $1,500 subsidy and a 3x-income rule, the applicant would need $1,500 in monthly income, not $6,000.
• Landlords may not charge voucher holders different fees or deposits than other tenants.
• Existing tenants are protected too: a landlord must accept a voucher a current tenant obtains and cooperate with program requirements such as inspections.

IDHR says a person can report discrimination to IDHR within one year, or file a lawsuit in state court within two years. Filing with IDHR is free. The FAQ lists the Fair Housing Division email, IDHR.FairHousing@illinois.gov, for questions.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact HAJ, IDHR or a legal aid organization.