I want to join someone government-assisted housing. Can I?

It depends on your background and on the policies of the PHA or owner. The same eligibility and exclusion rules apply if you want to join a family living in government-assisted housing as those that would apply if you were applying on your own—see PG. 357. As with new applicants there are a few limited situations in which a PHA or owner must reject the new family member[1331] (see PG. 361 for bans based on your criminal record). But in the vast majority of situations, the PHA or owner has BROAD DISCRETION to accept or reject you as an additional household member, just like for new applicants.

The rules for adding family members to an assisted household are different for every assisted housing program and are determined locally. You should be able to find these rules FOR YOUR PROGRAM. You can look in the following places:

    The PHA’s Annual Plan
    The PHA’s Admission and Occupancy Plan (ACOP)
    The lease for public housing
    The Administrative Plan for the Section 8 Voucher program
    The lease and/or house rules for all other government-assisted programs[1332]
    The PHA’s website for these plans
    By asking the PHA and/or owner for a copy.

IMPORTANT: Depending on the type of criminal activity and whether or not if happened on the government-assisted property, it could disqualify not just you, but your entire family from meeting the eligibility requirements of the assisted housing program! (Again, read PG. 356 to better understand eligibility requirements.)

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Does the family in that household have to report the addition to the home?

Yes. In general, if a family is adding an adult member to the household, they must (1) tell the PHA and landlord AND (2) in most cases, receive the PHA’s and owner’s approval to add someone new.[1333] Ask the PHA and owner what the rules are for reporting a new household member, and ask when you have to report the change. Follow the rules so your family member doesn’t risk losing their housing!

  1. 1331

    See PG. 391 for a discussion of the screening criteria relating to individuals with criminal histories.

  2. 1332

    This includes HUD-assisted housing, Rural Development (RD) project-based programs, and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties.

  3. 1333

    24 C.F.R. §§ 966.4(a)(1)(v), 982.516(c), 982.551(h)(2). Because tenants generally are not aware of the rules set forth in HUD Handbooks, and the lease does not require interim reporting, tenants without notice of the obligation to report should not be penalized for failing to report interim changes in family composition. Compare HUD, Occupancy Requirements Of Subsidized Multifamily Housing Programs ¶ 7-10(A)(2) (rev. November 2013) (requiring that all tenants notify the owner when a family member proposes to move a new member into the unit), with HUD, Occupancy Requirements Of Subsidized Multifamily Housing Programs, App. 4-A the model lease, ¶ 16a (does not require interim reporting of changes in family composition).