Rental Assistance for Idahoans
Get stable housing and financial independence with a Housing Choice Voucher.
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What Are Housing Choice Vouchers?
Housing Choice Vouchers help qualified low-income renters afford safe and stable housing by reducing housing expenses.
- Idaho Housing administers vouchers for 34 of 44 Idaho counties
- Participants contribute about 30% of their income to rent/utilities
- The HCV program pays the difference to the landlord
- Participants select their housing, provided it meets requirements
Am I Eligible for A Housing Choice Voucher?
To be eligible, you must:
- Meet HUD income guidelines
- Be a resident of, or move to, one of the 34 counties that Idaho Housing serves
- Be able to pay about 30% adjusted gross monthly income for rent
Individuals who are subject to lifetime registration under a state sex offender program are not eligible.
Get Started
If you need rental assistance, get started now!
Application process:
- Identify the housing authority that serves your county (see below)
- Apply online or request a paper application
Because of the high demand, the time spent on the waiting list can vary from a several months to more than two years.
Apply Now
Idaho Housing does not administer the Housing Choice Voucher program for the counties listed below. If you are a resident of, or want to move to, one of these counties, do not use Idaho Housing’s online application. You must apply directly through that county’s housing authority.
- Ada County – Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities
- City of Pocatello – Housing Alliance & Community Partnerships
- Adams, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley or Washington counties – Southwestern Idaho Cooperative Housing Authority
Residents in all other counties are encouraged to apply online.
- If you prefer a paper application, the rental assistance application and supplemental form must be printed, completed and signed in ink, then mailed or hand-delivered to the appropriate branch office location to be considered.
- To download a paper application, choose a branch office location below. Only one application will be accepted; duplicate applications submitted for other branch offices will not be accepted
- To have a paper application mailed to you, please contact the appropriate branch office using the contact information below.
- Checking on the status of your application? Please contact the branch office where you applied.
Fill out this application if you wish to live in any of the following counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, Shoshone.
Download Application:
- Coeur D’Alene Branch Office Preliminary Application – English
- Coeur D’Alene Branch Office Preliminary Application – Spanish
Coeur d’Alene Branch Office
915 W. Canfield
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815
Local Phone: 208.762.5113
Toll Free: 866.621.2994
Fill out this application if you wish to live in any of the following counties: Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Bonneville, Butte, Caribou, Clark, Custer, Franklin, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison, Oneida, Power, Teton.
Download Application:
- Idaho Falls Branch Office Preliminary Application – English
- Idaho Falls Branch Office Preliminary Application – Spanish
Idaho Falls Branch Office
1235 Jones St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83401
Local Phone: 208.522.6002
Toll Free: 866.684.3756
Fill out this application if you wish to live in any of the following counties: Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce.
Download Application:
- Lewiston Branch Office Preliminary Application – English
- Lewiston Branch Office Preliminary Application – Spanish
Lewiston Branch Office
2338 Nez Perce Drive
Lewiston, ID 83501
Local Phone: 208.743.0251
Toll Free: 866.566.1727
Fill out this application if you wish to live in any of the following counties: Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, Twin Falls.
Download Application:
- Twin Falls Branch Office Preliminary Application – English
- Twin Falls Branch Office Preliminary Application – Spanish
Twin Falls Branch Office
841 Meadows Drive, Suite 100
Twin Falls, ID 83301
Local Phone: 208.734.8531
Toll Free: 866.234.3435
Find A Rental
Enter specific search criteria in the free search tool below to locate a unit that meets your individual needs. Many of the properties listed on this website receive direct subsidies and are able to offer reduced rents, or rents based on a percentage of household income.
Program Announcements & Notifications
IHFA has several special types of Housing Choice Vouchers, which are available through a referral process rather than the traditional application process.
Some specialized vouchers target non-elderly (18 years of age or older, but less than 62) disabled members and their families. These households may qualify if they are:
- Homeless, at-risk of homelessness, transitioning out of an institution, or at-risk of being institutionalized; or
- Currently residing in a Permanent Supportive Housing or Rapid Rehousing project
All other Housing Choice Voucher eligibility requirements apply.
Applications for DFN and MRR vouchers come through direct referrals from Continuum of Care (CoC) Coordinated Entry Access Point Agencies and Idaho Health and Welfare.
Those Exiting an Institution: Please contact the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare at IHCMFP@dhw.idaho.gov.
All Others: Please contact the Regional Access Point.
Frequently Asked Questions
To be considered eligible for a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), applicants must qualify under the HUD income guidelines and meet other eligibility criteria. When an application is received, applicants are placed on a waiting list.
Once approved for a Housing Choice Voucher, all household income, allowances, and family composition are verified and recertified annually by IHFA staff. Participants under these programs pay approximately 30% of their adjusted gross monthly income for rent. As a participant’s income changes, the participant’s rent share changes proportionately.
With Housing Choice Vouchers, participants are able to choose their own housing and may select a single-family home, townhouse, duplex, apartment, or manufactured home, provided the housing meets program requirements.
Each of IHFA’s four branch offices maintain area waiting lists. If you are interested in obtaining a Housing Choice Voucher, you must complete and submit an online application or contact your local IHFA branch office for a paper application. Because of the high demand for assistance, the period of time you spend on the waiting list can vary from several months to more than two years.
The preference for which you qualify, the date of your application, and rental assistance availability all determine how quickly you will receive assistance. Once your name comes to the top of the waiting list, you will be contacted by your local IHFA branch office to complete eligibility determination and attend a participant briefing that explains the program.
To be eligible for voucher rental assistance, applicants must qualify under HUD income limits and meet other eligibility criteria. Before an applicant can lease up, all household income, allowances, and family composition will be verified by IHFA staff.
You may not be considered eligible if you:
- Owe money to IHFA or any other housing authority
- Have ever committed fraud while participating in a federal housing program
- Have ever been evicted from public housing
- Have, or have a family member in the household with, a lifetime registration under a state sex offender program
- Have committed drug-related or violent criminal acts (these are reviewed on a case-by-case basis)
- Are determined to be ineligible due to other reasons as defined by HUD
Each year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reviews and establishes income limits for all HUD housing programs. These income limits are based on Median Family Income estimates. IHFA is required to use the HUD established income limits to determine income eligibility for all applicants. To find out if you are income eligible for a rental assistance program, view the HUD Income Limits or contact the branch office serving the county you want to live in for up-to-date amounts.
Coeur d’Alene Branch Office
Counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, Shoshone
Idaho Falls Branch Office
Counties: Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Bonneville, Butte, Caribou, Clark, Custer, Franklin, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison, Oneida, Power, Teton
Lewiston Branch Office
Counties: Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce
Twin Falls Branch Office
Counties: Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, Twin Falls
In order to remain a participant in the Housing Choice Voucher program, you must:
- Pay your share of the rent
- Pay your share of utilities (if any)
- Abide by the lease and not damage the property
- Notify the IHFA Branch Office and landlord prior to moving to another unit
- Permit IHFA to conduct inspections to ensure the property meets the HUD established inspection standards
- Immediately report any changes in your household members and income
- Supply all requested documentation in a timely manner
- Abide by obligations outlined in the Family Obligations form
- Any other duties as assigned by IHFA
With Housing Choice Vouchers, the assistance (subsidy) is attached to the participant, rather than the unit, thus enabling participants to select their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, duplexes, apartments, and manufactured homes, provided it meets program requirements. Almost any kind of safe, decent, and sanitary housing qualifies. To be accepted units must:
- Have adequate living space
- Have adequate heating, electrical, water, and sewer systems
- Be free from any conditions that might endanger your health and safety
- Pass the HUD required inspection protocol
- Have a rent that is reasonable when compared to similar unassisted units
- Meet requirements for HUD’s affordability standards
A preference is a tool that can be used to prioritize eligible households for placement on the waiting list for housing assistance. These preferences must be based on local housing needs and priorities, as determined by each Public Housing Agency and are verified before admittance to the program. IHFA has established the following preferences:
| Preferences | Description |
|---|---|
| Families / Disabled / Elderly (HCV) | An applicant family whose household includes one or more children (under the age of 18 or disabled) or consists of an elderly or disabled head or co-head of household. |
| Federal Disaster Victim | Households who are victims of a Federally Declared Disaster and who have been certified as such by a Federal Agency (provided adequate budget authority/special funding is available). |
| Mainstream – regular (MS) | A household with a non-elderly (18 years of age or older but less than 62) disabled member. |
| Mainstream Disabled Family Non-Elderly (DFN) | A household with a non-elderly (18 years of age or older but less than 62) disabled member who is homeless, at-risk of being homeless, transitioning out of an institution, or is at-risk of being institutionalized (limited to 14 vouchers) (must be verified by a qualified service provider when we reach your name on the waiting list) |
| Mainstream Rapid Rehousing / Permanent Supportive Housing (MRR) | A household with a non-elderly (18 years of age or older but less than 62) disabled member that previously experienced homelessness and is currently a resident in a permanent supportive housing or rapid rehousing project. |
| Non-Elderly Disabled – Head or Co-head (NED) | A household with a non-elderly (18 years of age or older but less than 62) disabled Head of household or co-Head. |
| Terminal Illness | Households with a family member that can be classified, by a medical professional, as being in the final stages of a terminal illness. |
Housing Choice Voucher payment standards define the maximum amount Idaho Housing will pay each month toward a voucher participant’s rent and utilities. The payment standard depends on the number of bedrooms in the rental unit and the county where the accommodation is located.
Idaho’s Office of the Attorney General publishes the Landlord and Tenant Manual to help Idahoans understand their legal rights and responsibilities as renters and landlords. The manual provides guidance to help both parties navigate the full rental process.
Idaho Housing complies fully with the provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which provides housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking. These protections are available to any gender. The full policy is linked below.
Coeur d’Alene Branch Office
915 W. Canfield
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815
Local: 208.762.5113
Toll Free: 866.621.2994
Idaho Falls Branch Office
1235 Jones St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83401
Local: 208.522.6002
Toll Free: 866.684.3756
Lewiston Branch Office
2338 Nez Perce Drive
Lewiston, ID 83501
Local: 208.743.0251
Toll Free: 866.566.1727
Twin Falls Branch Office
841 Meadows Drive, Suite 100
Twin Falls, ID 83301
Local: 208.734.8531
Toll Free: 866.234.3435
Rental Assistance Main Office
P.O. Box 7899Boise, ID 83707-1899
Local: 208.331.4700
Toll Free: 855.505.4700
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