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“A house is a home when it shelters the body and comforts the soul.” – Phillip Moffitt. 

Two questions frequently asked by senior citizens are: “What’s Section 8?” and “How can I find a decent place to live?”  

In 1997, 622 subsidized units for Berkeley elderly were reported by the census; Alameda County Housing Authority’s Inventory of Subsidized Rental Housing identified 33 Berkeley buildings which include low-income or Section 8 senior or disabled rent-subsidized units. 

Section 8 refers to a portion of federal legislation administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It provides rent subsidies for low-income persons. People who qualify under Section 8, pay one-third of their incomes for rent, with the balance subsidized by HUD.  

This program has been one of the best possible uses of federal funds, because it countermands the need for costly welfare-type expenditures associated with sheltering seniors with small incomes who are eager and able to live independently.  

Seniors receiving Section 8 rent subsidies in today’s tight Bay Area housing market are at risk of losing their status and being evicted because landlords prefer other types of tenants and can get higher rents in the open market.  

Tenant-based Section 8 is administered by the Berkeley housing authority. In theory, it is possible for a low-income person to get on a periodically-open waiting list, obtain a Section 8 voucher from the housing authority, and – before the voucher expires – find a vacant apartment on the open market owned by a landlord who will accept both an aged tenant and rent subsidized by HUD!  

In Berkeley there are several Section 8 project buildings, owned by nonprofit and for profit organizations, not under the purview of the Berkeley Housing Authority. They consist of mostly single-room apartments, for example, Redwood Gardens and Stuart Pratt.  

Here are suggestions for easing a search for low-income housing for seniors. Contact rent-subsidized housing projects and landlords. Request an application form and information brochure, and complete the application form at once. Retain copies of all correspondence. Emphasize your strong points as a prospective tenant, for example, no pets, nonsmoker, excellent credit history, regular income. Resist the temptation to accept the advice of friends or building managers who say that “You will never get a place in that building” or “We never have vacancies.”  

If you currently rent in substandard conditions, make a formal request to the local housing department for an “inspection;” persist in obtaining a report of any code violations. If you are near-homeless, paying over half your income in rent, being involuntarily displaced, and or living in substandard housing, include these facts in your application.  

It may not be possible to apply to a building manager or see inside the building. Apply to the management company, which may require an interview; take a friend with you. After four weeks, if you have not received acknowledgment, follow up. After three months, if your application has not been accepted, telephone. Inquire about its status every month and at least once in writing.