I randomly discovered today that people use S8 housing vouchers for shared housing in some areas. I found that a little odd, but thought I'd check and see if anyone had direct experience with it. It's not likely something I'll ever pursue-- S8 and shared housing do not seem like two great things that necessarily go great together-- but for some demographics (ie, the elderly) I can see it as a possibility, especially in HCOL areas.

So, my biggest question is--- in the podcast I was listening to, X mentioned that Bedrooms A and B rent for $850/month, and Bedroom C and D rent for $650/month. Or whatever the real numbers were.

Now, my understanding of S8 is that people's vouchers/payment supplements are influenced not just by number of bedrooms, but also by bedroom size? But the subsidies they offer are also influenced by local comps?

But what if you have a thing, like shared housing, that doesn't necessarily have comps? You have local motels, where a room might rent for $x/month, but the local motel has private baths and no kitchens, whereas the shared housing might have a room with no private bath, but a shared kitchen.

Plus, you have the generic occupancy standards-- 1-2 people need to have at least 120 sf of living room; 3-5 occupants need the same thing plus 80 sf of dining room; 6 or more occupants need 150 sf of living room plus 100 sf of dining room, minimum, in addition to the kitchen space. One of the strategies in shared housing, though, is to minimize those common spaces, because there's no one to take responsibility for their regular upkeep. But I would expect that demand for common space to still be an element demanded for shared housing to be eligible for S8 payments?

The last thing I can think of--- S8 payments are tied to leases, which are why people can't get S8 for living in hotels/motels. But circling back to the question of-- how would they calculate the payment--- I'm seeing things online about how, in the case of some shared housing, if a family has 2 of 3 bedrooms in a house, and a 2 bedroom voucher is $1200, and a 3-bedroom voucher is $1695, and 2/3rds of a 3-bedroom voucher is $1131, and since $1131 is less than $1200, the Housing Assistance Payment for that family comes in at $1131/month--- that's a whole lot different than "Bedroom A and B rent for $850/month, and Bedrooms C and D rent for $650/month."

Deanna,

I don't know anything about it but is sounds like a great idea for singles or married Sec8 folks.

For years they would not allow a poor grandmother to live with her daughter and children - a perfect way to get two "familes" into housing and Grandma handle child care so Mom can hold a job.

I know Sec8 resident carry a bad image but have had lots of totally fine Sec8 residents. They just needed help with finances for housing. Screen normally.

I believe shared housing is the answer to the affordability and homelessness issues.

I believe the number I've heard thrown around is 70% of the going rate for a studio apartment.

Section 8 housing has always been shared housing. If you have a Section 8 tenants, there is also an unauthorized boyfriend living there and possibly a couple other friends, too.

As for authorized house sharing, if it is about food stamps, they take the entire income of everyone in the house and use that figure to determine the amount they give. If they do that, your tenants who were sharing would pretty much both have to be on Section 8