Walking paths, trees, and a playground in a courtyard of an apartment complex.
CDA Housing

Section 8

The Section 8 Voucher Program provides rental assistance for families to secure decent, safe, and sanitary housing. Participants can use vouchers to help pay rent for privately-owned housing.

This page is for housing vouchers in the City of Madison. If you want to live outside the City of Madison, apply with the Dane County Housing Authority.

Using Housing Vouchers

To get a housing voucher, you need to apply for the lottery when the waitlist is open. Learn more about the lottery and waitlist process.

When you reach the top of the waitlist, we'll send you a screening application. Once your application is approved, follow these steps to use the voucher.

  1. Meet with a Housing Specialist

    If you're an approved applicant, we'll schedule a voucher briefing meeting with you.

    If you're a current participant, you will meet with your Housing Specialist. Your specialist will need to verify:

    • Income, assets, and expenses
    • Family makeup
    • That you have given proper written notice to your housing provider to vacate your current unit

    Your Housing Specialist will provide your voucher, Request For Tenancy Approval (RFTA) form and gross rent limit.

  2. Search for Housing

    Search for available housing:

    When you find vacant housing you are interested in, apply with the housing provider (landlord).

  3. Provide the Request for Tenancy Approval Form (RFTA)

    If your application is approved, give the housing provider the RFTA to complete.

    Make sure that you or your housing provider send us the completed RFTA and a copy of the unsigned lease before your voucher expires.

    • If you're a current participant, the lease must be for 12 months.
    • If you're an approved applicant and you want to use your voucher in your current unit, you can submit your current lease. You do not need to submit a new 12-month lease.

    We will verify that the information on the RFTA and the lease match. We will also verify that the rent and utilities fall within your gross rent limit.

  4. Inspection & Signing

    A Section 8 Inspector will contact the housing provider to schedule a HUD inspection. The Inspector will also review the rent and determine whether it is reasonable and comparable to similar units. 

    Do not sign a lease before the unit has passed the inspection.

    We will notify the housing provider when the inspection and rent study are complete. Then you and the housing provider can sign the lease.

    You or your housing provider must send us a copy of the signed lease. Your Housing Specialist will complete all remaining contract documentation directly with the housing provider.

About the Program

The CDA pays a portion of the rent for about 2,100 households through the federally funded Housing Choice Voucher program more commonly known as Section 8. The CDA pays over $22 million each year to Madison housing providers on behalf of program participants. About 500 Madison landlords participate in the program.

The program is federally funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered by the Community Development Authority (CDA).

The CDA maintains a Section 8 Administrative Plan as required by HUD. The plan establishes policies for the CDA's Section 8 programs, ensuring consistency with federal regulations.

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