Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program

The Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8 Vouchers) is a federally funded, locally administered rental assistance program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HCV is administered locally by the New Castle County Housing Authority (NCCHA).  NCCHA currently helps to house over 1,700 families throughout New Castle County, Delaware. 

You can find out more about the basics of the HCV Program here.

Please note:  NCCHA caseworkers Do Not Take Walk-In's. In-person appointments or hearings must be scheduled in advance with caseworkers. In addition, please allow staff 48 hours to respond to messages. If you do not receive a response within that timeframe, please contact Ms. Dennis or Ms. Scarpitti. 

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Through a Memorandum of Understanding with Newark Housing Authority, it will now be easier for Housing Choice Voucher clients of each agency to seek housing in the other's service area. In other words, NCCHA voucher holders may now search for and move into qualified homes within the city limits of Newark, while remaining our clients, and vice versa. Learn more on our Portability Page.

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Through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by County Executive Matt Meyer and Wilmington Housing Authority Director Ray Fitzgerald, it will now be easier for Housing Choice Voucher clients of each agency to seek housing in the other's service area. In other words, NCCHA voucher holders may now search for and move into qualified homes in Wilmington, while remaining our clients, and vice versa. Learn more on our Portability Page.

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Delaware State Housing Authority's DEHAP program offers aid to eligible families throughout the state. See if you qualify in the most recent program update here.

Clients who owe back rent, are facing eviction, or are in need of other assistance are  also encouraged to utilize the resources below:

All business with NCCHA should continue to be handled by phone, email, mail or fax when possible. However, the lobby of the Gilliam Building is open to the public, so document drop-offs can resume and caseworkers may be able to schedule meetings with tenants as needed.

Annual Inspections are currently being performed on behalf of NCCHA by contractor McCright & Associates, while NCCHA inspectors are back in the field addressing complaints and move-in inspections. Contact NCCHA with any questions or issues regarding inspections.

For further info, please see the County’s COVID-19 Resource Page.

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Visit DelawareHousingSearch.Org for Unit Listings

Listings on the site do not represent all units available to voucher holders.

NCCHA is also, as of February 2023, re-establishing its own internal listing of available units. Landlords should email info about available units (including address, # of bedrooms, requested rent amount and contact info) to [email protected]. Once the lists are re-established, they will also appear on our Tenant page once again.

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Current Base* Payment Standards for NCC:

(Effective January 1, 2023)

# of BedroomsNCCHA Payment Standard
Efficiency$1,020
One Bedroom$1,162
Two Bedroom$1,404
Three Bedroom$1,707
Four Bedroom$1,990


* Please note that HUD's 'Small Area Fair Market Rent' guidelines add variability to the Payment Standard in some New Castle County zip codes to account for different average rental rates around the county. For a full listing of specific Fair Market Rents by Zip Code, please see this document (pdf).

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NCCHA Administrative Plan (2018)

As of June 2019, NCCHA has adopted a revised "Administrative Plan," which outlines specifically how NCCHA interprets and operates the HCV Program within its jurisdiction, as well as local policies and standards. (Click on the link above to view the document.)


Page Updated 2/28/2023