AffordableHousingOnline

Affordable Housing Online is monitoring the federal government's response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. As of March 13, 2020, Public Housing Agencies across the nation are closing their doors to the public. Most offices are still running and will communicate by phone, email, or mail. Some offices have drop boxes installed outside, so documents can still be hand-delivered. Visit the housing authority's website for the latest on its current operations, if one is available. If there is no information online, contact the housing authority directly. Due to a high volume of calls and modified office hours in most areas, expect a long wait time (days or weeks) for a response. To find your local PHA's contact info, browse by state here.

An extensive list of coronavirus resources for low-income households can be found here.

Read Affordable Housing Online's Resource for Coronavirus (COVID-19)

How Do I Find an Open Section 8 Waiting List?

  1. Visit Affordable Housing Online’s Open Section 8 Waiting Lists page.
  2. Search for your area of interest on Affordable Housing Online.
  3. Sign up to Affordable Housing Online’s email alerts.
  4. Contact a Housing Authority

You apply for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program through a housing authority that participates in the program and has an open Section 8 HCV waiting list. Applicants may apply anywhere in the country, regardless of where they currently live. Many waiting lists are only open for a specific period of time, but others are open indefinitely. This means that there is no scheduled closing date, and the waiting list will close once the housing office places an adequate number of applicants on its waiting list. The housing office will release a public notice prior to the opening and closing of the waiting list. No circumstances will allow a person to apply to a waiting list that is closed.

Option 1: Visit Affordable Housing Online’s Open Section 8 Waiting Lists page.

Find an opening by visiting this list of nationwide Section 8 waiting list openings. Click the housing authority name and scroll down to the “Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List" section for the date and time the waiting list is open, the preferences the housing authority will use to sort applicants, and how you can apply.

Option 3: Sign up to Affordable Housing Online’s email alerts.

Affordable Housing Online maintains a popular mailing list that 300,000 people use every week to keep current on waiting list openings. Members of the mailing list may choose to receive either two or five emails per week about Section 8 and Public Housing waiting list openings all over the country. Subscribers will also receive specialized alerts when a waiting list opens near them. You can sign up to receive waiting list alerts by email here.

Option 4: Contact a Housing Authority

Many housing authorities have websites that provide information on their housing programs. There may be a page that contains waiting list information. If not, or if the housing authority does not have a website, contact the housing authority office directly.

Housing authorities are required to release a public notice announcing the opening and closing of the waiting list. Contact the housing authority to find out what methods the office uses to publish public notices.

Housing authority website and contact information can be found at the top of any housing authority page on Affordable Housing Online. Use the search bar on the top of any Affordable Housing Online page to search for your city, county, or state, and scroll down to the section titled “Housing Authorities that serve…”