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Over the past decade, the Section 8 tenant-based assistance program has grown in both size and importance as a component of federal housing policy for poor renters. Unlike the public housing program, which subsidizes the construction and operation of housing developments for the poor, the Section 8 tenant-based program supplements what very low income families and individuals can afford to pay for housing in the private market. Thus tenant-based assistance enables recipients to choose moderately priced housing of the type and in the location that best fits their needs. The Section 8 program is administered by local and state housing agencies under contract to the federal government. Participants generally contribute 30 percent of their monthly income towards housing costs, with the Section 8 program making up the difference—up to a locally defined “payment standard”. Today, about 1.4 million households nationwide participate in the Section 8 program.

The section 8 program was started by Jack Kemp, the secretary of HUD under the first George Bush. They weren't satisfied with public housing and of course always want to chase us, so they came up with this taxpayer funded deal. One of the members of Amren wrote this article from Govt reports.