Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

Effective June 1, 2023, Community Action of Western Indiana, Inc. (COWI) on behalf of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will open the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Waiting List for Benton, Fountain, Vermillion, and Warren counties The Section 8 HCV program is available to income eligible individuals and families and exists to assist with rent payments to provide decent, affordable, sanitary, and safe housing for persons with low incomes. The Section 8 HCV program is not emergency housing assistance and your waiting time for assistance may exceed 24 months. Click here for additional information.  COWI will accept applications online only:

Benton County

Fountain County

Vermillion County

Warren County

Community Action Program, Inc. of Western Indiana, administers this program in Benton, Fountain, Vermillion, and Warren counties.  The program is designed to assist a family (one or more persons) with their rent on a monthly basis and to ensure the unit the family is going into is affordable, safe, and in sanitary condition. To qualify for the program the family’s gross household income cannot be more than 50% of the Area Medium Income (AMI).

As applications are received, applicants are placed on the waiting list for the selected county that the applicant has submitted an application for. Applicants are placed on the waiting list according to preferences that they have selected on the application. Currently the preferences are: residency (applicant is a legal resident of, has been hired to work in, or currently works within the county they have applied to), person residing in an institutional setting or at risk of being placed in an institutional setting, working families, elderly (applicant is age 62 or older), non-elderly family member with disability, family member with a disability, youth exiting foster care, and child welfare involved families. If declared preference(s) cannot be verified at the time an applicant’s family has been selected from the waiting list, the family returns to the waiting list without that preference. Once a family has been selected from the waiting list, the family will be required to furnish the following:

  • Verification of preferences
  • Copies of birth certificates for everyone in the household
  • Social security cards for everyone in the household
  • Photo ID’s of anyone who is 18 or older
  • Proof of income from all sources
  • Proof of all assets
  • Criminal background checks are completed on all household members 18 or older

After all the information above has been received and the family is determined to be eligible, a date will be set for a briefing to go over the rules and regulations of the program. The amount of assistance for each family varies due to the following factors:

  • Number of family members
  • Gross household income
  • Amount of rent requested by landlord
  • Utilities the family is responsible to pay

At the time of briefing, the family will be given information on what their guidelines are when looking for a unit and tools to use to make sure the unit fits their criteria. A family cannot pay more than 40% of their income out in rent and utilities. The family will be issued a Voucher, which will show the number of bedrooms they are allowed to look for and the 60-day period they have to locate a unit. The bedroom size is gauged by the number of family members. Children of opposite sexes can share a bedroom until one reaches the age of six. If an individual is handicapped, disabled, and/or elderly they can ask for an extra bedroom if they are in need of a caregiver. All units must pass Housing Quality Standards. Families are required to remain in the unit for one year. Families are responsible for informing Community Action Program, Inc. of Western Indiana of any change in address or family status such as the birth of a child, marriage, or divorce.

Landlords do not have to accept the program; however, if they do they must abide by the following rules and regulations as set forth in the Contract and any Addendum. The unit must be kept in good repair. The rent cannot be raised unless notice is given to the tenant and Community Action Program at least 60 days prior to the effective date of the increase and after the initial first year on the program. Then, it must be approved by Community Action Program.

  • Violations of the Program Rules
  • A participant can be terminated for but not limited to the following:
  • Having unauthorized persons living in the household
  • Not paying their portion of the rent
  • Allowing utilities to get turned off for non-payment
  • Not providing information in a timely manner at re-certification time
  • Moving without notice
  • Participating in any illegal drug activity
  • Participating in any violent criminal activity that threatens the health, safety or right to peaceful enjoyment of other residents or neighbors. Permit such activity by any quest or other person in or about the assisted unit.
  • Damaging a unit or allowing a guest to damage the unit

For additional information about the program, contact Section 8 by phone at (765) 793-4881 or via email at Section8@capwi.org.