Since the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, the housing choice voucher program (otherwise known as Section 8) has been the federal government’s major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, veterans, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market at a subsidized rate.
In the private rental market, renters are required to provide at least two months rent as a security deposit. With Housing Choice Voucher residents having low-to-moderate incomes, many of these residents need assistance in fulfilling their security deposit requirement.
PhillySEEDS offers security deposit assistance at a dollar-to-dollar match of the resident’s security deposit savings, up to $2,000. PhillySEEDS recipients also receive credit and budget counseling from a housing counseling center certified by the City of Philadelphia, where they learn to budget their income and monthly bills for future affordability.