The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has put forth a new proposed rule that provides public housing authorities (PHAs) and Section 8 project-based rental assistance (PBRA) owners with the ability to mandate work requirements and time limits for non-elderly, non-disabled work-capable adults living in HUD-funded housing.
Less than 1% of all PHAs have work requirements. According to HUD, nearly half of the non-elderly, non-disabled assisted households showed zero earnings for any household members in 2024. Since 2010, the average length of stay across major HUD rental programs has increased from five-to-six years to nearly eight-to-nine years. Nearly 90% of able-bodied Section 8 voucher recipients will spend more than five years in subsidized housing, and 50% will spend more than 15 years.
Meanwhile, HUD noted it is only serving one-quarter of eligible Americans in need of housing assistance.
The proposed rule gives direct flexibility to all PHAs and PBRA owners to implement a work requirement of up to 40 hours per week and/or time limits of two years or more for non-disabled, non-elderly adults ages 18 to 61. PHAs and owners can designate who within a household is subject to the work requirements and how to apply the work requirements.
“Housing assistance was never meant to trap work-able individuals on government support their entire lives, rather it should be a temporary foundation to launch into a life of self-sufficiency,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. “Getting a paycheck is empowering, getting a welfare check is not. HUD’s proposed rule will restore dignity and well-being among residents we serve. Our proposal expands access for deserving families on waiting lists, while still preserving protections for elderly and disabled households.”
