Section 8 Home Ownership

HRA assists Franklin County residents realize their dream of homeownership. Low-income, disabled, and elderly families who are participants in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program may switch from rental assistance to mortgage assistance when they are ready to buy a house. In order to qualify, families must be first-time home buyers, they must qualify for a home mortgage loan, and they must find a house to buy that meets the program's guidelines.

Eligibility requirements include but are not limited to the following guidelines:

• The family must be a first-time home buyer.
• Must be a Section 8 housing choice voucher participant for at least one year
• Must be enrolled in the Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program
• Must satisfy the minimum income requirement
• Must satisfy the employment requirement
• Must attend an approved homeownership counseling program
• Must obtain their own financing, subject to the approval of HRA

To be eligible, the family must meet the income guidelines and be a Section 8 housing choice voucher participant for at least one year. There are work requirements for able families that do not apply to elderly or disabled families:

• At least one adult in the family must be working full-time (a minimum of 30 hrs per week)
• At least one adult in the family must have been employed continuously during the year before receiving Section 8 home ownership assistance.

The house you buy must meet the following program standards:

• The home must be a single unit dwelling
• The house must pass an inspection
• You must live in the house you buy as your primary residence

How to Apply

Call Ellen Campbell, Greenfield Housing Authority, the shared HRA/GHA FSS Coordinator (413) 774-2932 x5