The Section 8 Tenant-Based Program administered by the Muskogee Housing Authority (MHA) is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The purpose of the program is to make decent, safe and sanitary housing affordable to very-low income households in the private rental market.

Households that meet eligibility requirements normally pay approximately 30% of their adjusted monthly income towards their monthly rent and utility costs. The program pays the balance of the rent directly to the owner of the rental property or to their appointed agent.

Eligible Section 8 participants are issued a voucher to be used toward Rental Assistance payments to the chosen landlord.

Newly approved by the Board of Commissioners on March 8, 2001, the Homeownership Program allows the Muskogee Housing Authority to assist eligible Section 8 Rental Assistance participants in the purchase of a home by offering monthly homeownership assistance payments towards mortgage payments.

Local project based properties are Keetoowah Village Apartments and Meadowbrook Apartments.  Various landlords and local apartment complexes have a specified number of units designated solely for Section 8 Assistance. Interested parties must contact these sites independently, as they are not managed by the Muskogee Housing Authority, although they must comply with the same HUD regulations as any other Section 8 program.

All Section 8 housing must meet the Housing Quality Standards (HQS), and the rent must be reasonable. When you submit the request for lease/tenancy approval, we will also request that a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection be performed by our office. This inspection is required to make sure that the unit meets the housing quality standards set by HUD and by the Muskogee Housing Authority, before the subsidy can begin. If there are any failed items discovered during the inspection, the landlord will be notified in writing of what those items are. The landlord will be given a deadline to make the repairs. The subsidy will not begin until the unit meets all of the HQS requirements, and no retroactive payments may be made for the time period before the unit passed inspection.

The HQS Inspection covers such items as electrical, windows, ceilings, hot water heaters, lead paint, smoke detectors, heating equipment, and fire exits. The Muskogee Housing Authority has a qualified inspector on staff and all inspections are performed in a timely manner.

Once the "Owner Payee" packet is completed by the landlord and returned to our office by the tenant, we will then schedule an inspection of the unit you have chosen.

For additional information, you may wish to contact either the Public Housing Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator, or the Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator.

SECTION 8 WAITING LIST IS OPEN AS OF 11-1-04, APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED.