If the combined annual income for you and all of your household members is less than the amount allowed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, you may be eligible. This includes all income, including government assistance, such as unemployment, disability, EBT, child support, Social Security, etc.
To view current income limits and other requirements, visit our full HUD requirements page.

There are options for affordable housing in Knox County in addition to the subsidized housing that KCDC manages. These options may have different requirements that would better suit your needs. To find other affordable housing options, visit www.tnhousingsearch.org.

To view your place on the waiting list, log in to your profile on the Participant Portal. Applicants are placed on the KCDC waiting list in order by date and time of a completed application being processed. HUD dictates preference will be given to applicants based on such criteria as disability or elderly, homeless, extremely low income, family with minor children, employment status, etc.

When your name comes to the top of the waiting list, KCDC will contact you using information on your application. Please ensure that you log in to the Participant Portal regularly to keep your contact information up-to-date.

Due to several variables, it is not possible to tell an applicant’s exact position on the waiting list. Please see the estimated wait times below to see approximately how long an applicant might expect to wait for an available apartment. Also, please remember to update your address and/or phone number if they change, because these are ways in which a manager contacts applicants for offers.

Estimated Wait Times for KCDC Properties

A priority of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is to broaden housing choices for low-income families. With the implementation of the Section 8 Program in 1976, certificate and voucher holders were encouraged to move to an area outside minority and poverty concentration. Mobility or portability was further expanded with the Section 8 Conforming Rule that was effective Oct. 2, 1995.

Housing Choice Voucher holders can use the voucher to rent available units.

To move outside the city limits of Knoxville, the portability feature applies.

Participants with Housing Choice Vouchers have the HUD statutory right to lease an eligible unit anywhere in the United States with a governing voucher program (portability feature). Also, an applicant receiving a new voucher, who lived in KCDC’s jurisdiction when he/she applied for rental assistance, has the statutory right to move under these same conditions.

If participants decide to move, they must inform KCDC of the area to which they wish to relocate. KCDC will determine if the housing agency in the new area administers a voucher program. KCDC will notify the housing agency to determine proper procedures and provide information and guidance to the participant to expedite the process.

Reasons for Relocating

• Safety
  Move from a high-crime area
• Education
  Better schools and educational opportunities
• Employment
  Closer to job opportunities
• Medical
  Closer to medical facilities
• Family Support
  Closer to family members living out of town
• Transportation
  Closer to bus lines or other public services

The portability feature enables participants to select the neighborhood, community, city, or state of their preference. KCDC recognizes that moving is part of life, and staff are trained to help with this process. A copy of United States Housing Agencies is available upon request.

Facts to Consider if You Plan to Move

• The new housing agency’s payment standard is applicable
• The new housing agency’s occupancy standards may change the bedroom size of you voucher
• The new housing agency has the right to screen for criminal activity
• You should manage the move so you have enough time to arrive at complete the voucher transition with the Housing Agency before your voucher expires, otherwise you may lose your assistance

The Department of Housing and Urban Development uses fair market rents to determine a voucher payment standard, which determines how much housing assistance payments should be paid monthly through Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers for a particular community and bedroom size.

 

The monthly housing assistance is the difference between the payment standard and 30 percent of the monthly adjusted family income.  In determining the initial housing assistance payment for the family, KCDC will use the payment standard in effect on the date the lease is approved.  The family may choose to rent a unit for more or less than the payment standard, but the choice does not change the amount of the assistance payment.

Knox County Voucher Payment Standards
Room #	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
Fair Market Rent	541	656	798	1040	1338	1538	1739

 

Click here to visit our participant portal to view the status of the waiting list and your application. Check Status

When the Section 8 voucher waiting list is closed, check this website for notifications that the waiting list will be opened. If you have already submitted an application, please keep your contact information updated using the participant portal.

Please view our other affordable housing options on our housing page.

Notification that the waiting list will be opened will be posted in advance to this website. When the waitlist is opened, fill out your application using our Participant Portal. If you have already created an application, log into the Participant Portal and ensure that your information is up-to-date.

The online process is the quickest, most efficient way to submit your application for consideration while avoiding lines at the rental office. While individuals wait in line at the rental office, other applications will arrive through the online application.

Click here to visit our Participant Portal to view the status of the waiting list and your application.