Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

The Housing Choice Voucher Program assists low-income families in Mahoning County to rent privately owned homes and apartments. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). YMHA contracts with HUD as the local provider for Mahoning County. Under the program, a portion of the participants' rent is paid by YMHA to the landlord and the participant is responsible for paying the remaining portion. The choice of where to live is up to the participant, as long as the unit meets the requirements of the program. All housing chosen under the Section 8 program is inspected by YMHA to make sure it meets every requirement for safe, healthy living.

YMHA establishes a Wait List for all applicants for the Housing Choice Voucher program. New applications are only accepted once the Wait List is open. When the Wait List is open, instructions on how to submit an application are advertised in the local newspaper and throughout the County. At the end of the application period, YMHA conducts a public lottery to determine the applicant's placement on the Wait List.

YMHA contacts participants by mail when their lottery numbers are reached. At that time, an interview session is scheduled. Participants must bring all required information with them to the interview.

We receive many applications; therefore, it may take some time to reach all participants with news of the status of their applications. Participants are encouraged to call YMHA at any time to check their status.

In addition to administering our Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, our Section 8 staff also manages a 44 unit senior building in Lowellville, Ohio. For more information on that property and how to apply, click here.