Campus Housing Bill Removes Ban, Allowing Low-Income Students to Use Housing Assistance

The Campus Housing Affordability Act aims to tackle the rising cost of college by addressing something that often gets overlooked: where students live. Simply put, this bill removes a long-standing federal restriction that explicitly blocked students from accessing federal housing assistance, like Section 8 vouchers. Specifically, Section 2 strikes a prohibition tucked away in the 2006 Appropriations Act, finally opening the door for students to potentially use housing aid.

The Fine Print: Who Gets the Waiver?

This isn’t a blanket handout for every student. Section 3 sets up a specific process, granting the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) the authority to waive certain requirements for what the bill calls an “eligible student.” To be eligible, a student must meet three key criteria: they must be enrolled in a qualifying higher education institution, they must live in a student housing facility maintained by that institution (think dorms or university-owned apartments), and—this is the crucial part—they must be otherwise eligible for tenant-based rental assistance under Section 8(o).

If you qualify for Section 8, you already know it’s a needs-based program with strict income limits and often very long waiting lists. This bill doesn’t change those core requirements. Instead, it seems designed to help the lowest-income students who already qualify for housing assistance but were previously blocked just because they were enrolled in college and living in university-run housing. For a student juggling classes and a low-wage job, this change could mean the difference between staying in school or dropping out due to rent stress.

No Penalty for Getting Help

One of the smartest parts of this legislation is how it handles the assistance itself. Often, when someone receives one type of government aid, it counts as “income” and can disqualify them from another, creating a financial benefits cliff. The Campus Housing Affordability Act explicitly prevents this. Section 3 specifies that any housing assistance received under this waiver will not be counted as income when determining eligibility for federal student financial aid (like Pell Grants), income earned through college work-study programs, or even the amount of child support a student might owe. This is huge because it means a student can get help paying rent without sacrificing their ability to get tuition aid or keep their work-study job.

Consider a single parent returning to school who qualifies for Section 8. Without this bill, using that housing aid could reduce their student financial aid package, essentially swapping one benefit for another. With this bill, the student can use the housing aid to cover their institutional housing costs while keeping their full financial aid package, making the whole college endeavor financially viable. This provision ensures the policy actually works as intended: to increase affordability, not just rearrange the deck chairs on the sinking ship of student debt.

The Reality of Implementation

While this is a clear win for low-income students, the reality of implementation is a bit more complex. Since the bill relies on students already being eligible for Section 8, and that program is already heavily oversubscribed across the country, this change won’t suddenly solve the student housing crisis overnight. It only helps the subset of students who are already in the Section 8 pipeline. Furthermore, the bill gives the Secretary of HUD the power to waive certain requirements, which adds a layer of administrative discretion. How broadly or narrowly HUD applies this waiver authority will determine how many students actually benefit. Still, removing a prohibition and creating a pathway where none existed before is a significant step toward making higher education accessible to those who need it most.