There is usually a several year waiting list to get a section 8 voucher, but it subsidises the rent. A lot of landlords (me included) choose not to accept section 8 vouchers because they have a different set of rules for evicting someone, and because they take at least 30 days (while you’re not collecting rent) to approve the dwelling.
Because it takes so long to get the voucher, most people who get section 8 are lifelong welfare recipient’s.
There are some exceptions. My sister was a single mom working for barely more than minimum wage. The working poor are eligible as well. My sisters problem was that every time she got a raise her rent would go up and her food stamps wold go down. She finally worked her way off the system and is doing pretty well (now that her kids are grown) but it was a hard battle.