The National City Housing Authority (NCHA) administers the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program for eligible low-income households and seniors who live or work in National City. It is a federally funded program under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which enables participants to obtain decent, safe, and sanitary housing.

Due to insufficient federal funding and no additional funding anticipated, we regret we are not able to select new families from our Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list, cannot provide an estimated waiting period, and we do not anticipate selecting new families in the near future.  With the current amount of funding we receive, we are only able to support the families who are already participating in the program.  We remain committed to seeking every opportunity to expand access to housing assistance in the future. Please continue to monitor our website for updates.

To be eligible for the Section 8 HCV Program, the household must be either a family or a single person whose income does not exceed the area limits set by HUD.

Only applicants meeting Extremely Low and Very Low-Income standards are eligible for the HCV Program. Low-Income standards are used only when, under certain circumstances, owners convert from a project-based to a tenant-based program. Congress requires that 75% of new admissions to the tenant-based program and 40% of new admissions to the project-based programs be Extremely Low-Income. The remaining new admissions may not exceed the Very Low-Income limit.

HUD establishes annual income limits by family size as:

• Extremely Low-Income: Income does not exceed the higher of the federal poverty level or 30% of area median income
• Very Low-income: 50% of area median income
• Low-income: 80% of area median income.

HUD's income limits for the San Diego area are in the table below.

HCV Program Annual Median Income (AMI) Limits (Effective 04/01/2025) 

Participant Responsibilities

Participants in National City Housing Authority – Housing Choice Voucher Program - Section 8 have the following responsibilities:

• Pay their portion of the rent in accordance with the rental agreement and family obligations 

• Notify your National City Housing Specialist and property owner/agent of any changes in the household composition

• Pay for utilities and services as outlined in the rental agreement

• Keep the unit clean and undamaged

• Not engage in any illegal activities

• Be responsible for the actions of their guest(s)

• Permit access to the unit for repairs

• Refrain from disturbing others

• Allow only occupants on the rental agreement to reside in the unit

• Abide by the terms of the Housing Choice Voucher, the rental agreement, federal regulations and applicable National City Housing Authority Administrative policies

NCHA Small Area Fair Market Rents - Effective Date 11/1/2025

NCHA Utility Allowance - Effective Date 10/01/2025

The Overview

National City Housing Authority (NCHA) received 32 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help vulnerable households obtain stable, permanent housing.

We have leased up 32 Emergency Housing Vouchers. We are not accepting any Emergency Housing Vouchers at this time. 

Call 2 – 1 – 1 San Diego for housing referrals

Are you Moving?

This information is for Housing Choice Voucher Participants who want to move their housing assistance voucher to one served by another housing agency.

Port In

If You Move Your Rental Assistance Voucher to National City Housing:

• The paperwork for an incoming transfer (move) can take up to 30 days to process after we receive the initial paperwork from your current housing agency.

• It is important you have a temporary place to stay and the money to support yourself and your family until your transfer process is done. Please think about this timing when you plan your move.

• We cannot begin your transfer to our jurisdiction until we receive a packet of information called a Portability Packet from your current housing agency. 

• We are not absorbing at this time, only billing.

• We only service the National City 91950 area (excluding Lincoln Acres).

• Please ask your housing agency to mail or fax the portability packet to our location:

National City Voucher Program

Housing Choice Voucher Program

140 E 12^th Street, Suite B

National City CA 91950

Email: Section8@nationalcityca.gov

Port Out

If you want to move out of our area jurisdiction, you need to contact your housing specialist for additional information and to receive a Request to Utilize Portability Form. Due to a funding shortage, participants can only port-out to a housing agency that will absorb your voucher. 

Visit the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD website, www.hud.gov, for a list of Housing Agencies, or call HUD toll-free at 1-800-955-2232.

Learn more about the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Portability Regulations. 

• Application in English (PDF)
• Application in Spanish (PDF)
• Change of Information in English (PDF)
• Change of Information in Spanish (PDF)

• HCV Landlord Resources | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

• HUD OIG HotlineSupporting Documents

• Notice of Disqualification Conditions (PDF)
• Agency Referral Sheet (PDF)

Contact

Business Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Friday - Sunday: Closed

Phone:
(619) 336-4254

Fax:
(619) 477-3747

E-mail:
section8@nationalcityca.gov

Location:
140 E. 12th Street, Suite B,
National City, CA 91950-3312

County of San Diego Housing Authority
3989 Ruffin Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
SDHCD Website
(877) 478-5478
(858) 694-4890

San Diego Housing Commission
1122 Broadway, Suite 300
San Diego CA 92101
SDHC Website
(619) 231-9400 (Main Line)
(619) 578-7640 (Waiting List)
(619) 578-7306 (Spanish)

City of Oceanside Housing Division
321 N Nevada Street
Oceanside CA 92054
Housing Division Website
(760) 435-3360

City of Carlsbad Housing Authority
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive
Carlsbad CA 92008
Rental Assistance Website
(760) 434-2810

Encinitas Housing Authority
505 S Vulcan Avenue
Encinitas CA 92024
Housing Authority Website
(760) 633-2723