Posted on September 28, 2016 in NY1 NY1, Local leaders are rallying against a proposal that could hike rents for low-income residents. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is considering a new method to calculate how much households will get for rent. The Section 8 program helps low-income families, capping their monthly rent to about 30 percent of their income. Under the new rule, the value of the monthly vouchers would decrease for low-income neighborhoods and increase for high-income neighborhoods. HUD says the goal is to encourage Section 8 households to live in better areas, but critics say it will make more people homeless.