Section 8 Rental Housing: Merging Assistance Programs Has Benefits but
Raises Implementation Issues (Letter Report, 05/27/94, GAO/RCED-94-85).

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) runs two similar
rental housing subsidy programs for low-income households--the section 8
certificate and voucher programs.  These two programs, which local and
state housing agencies operate for HUD, enable 1.3 million poor families
to live in decent, affordable, privately owned housing.  Although these
programs are in many ways similar, several statutory and administrative
differences can affect the housing subsidy that households receive.
Over the past several years, GAO, the Vice President's National
Performance Review, and others have urged that the two programs be
combined; legislation now before Congress would accomplish that goal.
This report examines (1) the benefits of a merger, (2) the major program
differences that would need to be reconciled, (3) the effect of a merger
on HUD's budgeting and financial management, and (4) the effort needed
to merge the two programs.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  RCED-94-85
     TITLE:  Section 8 Rental Housing: Merging Assistance Programs Has 
             Benefits but Raises Implementation Issues
      DATE:  05/27/94
   SUBJECT:  Low income housing
             Rent subsidies
             Housing programs
             Public assistance programs
             Federal agency reorganization
             Future budget projections
             Rental housing
             Eligibility criteria
             Financial management
             Rental rates
IDENTIFIER:  HUD Section 8 Certificate Program
             HUD Section 8 Voucher Program
             National Performance Review
             HUD Section 8 Systems Project Implementation Plan
             
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