Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

COC’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waiting list is currently closed. We will update our website when the waiting list opens. We encourage you to register for posting notifications with www.cthcvp.org to receive an email notification of when this list opens. 

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, also known as Section 8, offers families including elderly and disabled persons and working families, the greatest mobility and broader range of choice in selecting where they live. Using a voucher, families can identify quality housing anywhere in the City of Stamford. Families may also use their voucher to move outside of Stamford after their first year in the program. 

COC administers more than 1,800 active vouchers citywide and partners with over 800 owners currently participating in the program. Property owners own and manage their properties and enter into a lease with voucher holders.

Eligibility for HCV

COC has adopted the HUD low-income limit for income eligibility, which is 80% of the city of Stamford’s median household income.

All applicants must satisfactorily meet our criminal screening standards prior to voucher issuance. COC has the authority to deny admission to individuals with a history of use or abuse of drugs or alcohol, or of criminal behavior that interferes with the peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents. We look at background check results holistically as part of our overall evaluation of an applicant. Please click here for more information.

Property owners are responsible to determine resident suitability, this may include criminal and credit screening.

Eligibility for assistance under the program is limited to U.S. citizens and some categories of non-citizens and is determined based on total annual gross income and family size.

The HCV Process

Once you have a COC voucher, you are free to select housing of your choice within the City of Stamford. When a prospective apartment is found, the rent must be reasonable relative to comparable market-rate housing in the area and the apartment must meet Housing Quality Standards (HQS) set by HUD.

A family may choose a unit with a higher rent than the maximum limit allowed for subsidy and pay the owner the difference. However, a family cannot pay more than 40% of income when initially moving to a new unit. Please click here to view the 2021 Payment Standards.