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City of Berkeley Housing Authority

Waiting Lists

Learn more about City of Berkeley Housing Authority.

Closed: Berkeley, California Section 8 HCV

The City of Berkeley Housing Authority (BHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is closed. 

The BHA last accepted applications for this waiting list from July 19, 2022, until July 26, 2022. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.

The maximum income limits for each household size were listed on the public notice.

This waiting list had the following preferences:

  • Mainstream Voucher Qualified households or Project Move-up Referrals (105 points). Note: these referrals are provided to BHA by homeless services staff (Mainstream) or Mod Rehab/Shelter Plus Care staff (Project Move up), and preference points are for adding these referrals to the Tenant-based Waitlist via these referral mechanisms. As such, they are not utilized for Preference Categories in any online waitlist opening.
  • Households/families that at the time of selection from the waiting list, reside in the City of Berkeley, or formerly resided in Berkeley, or include a member who works, or has been hired to work in the jurisdiction. Use of this preference will not have the purpose or effect of delaying or otherwise denying admission to the program based on the race, color, ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, or age of any member of an applicant family. (100 points)
  • Veteran Preference (as required by State law). Granted to households with one or more active member(s) of the military, or a veteran discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable, or a surviving spouse (as defined by the Department of Veteran Affairs) (50 points)
  • Elderly (62 or older), and/or disabled, based on head of household (10 points)
  • Family status (any 2- or more person household) (10 points)

2,000 applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, weighed by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the BHA website.

Sources: This information was verified by the BHA public notice on July 17, 2022.

Service Area

This waiting list is for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance in Berkeley, California .

Last Updated on 01/16/2023.

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Closed: University Neighborhood Apartments Senior Public Housing

The City of Berkeley Housing Authority (BHA) Senior Public Housing waiting list for studio and one bedroom units, is currently closed. It was last open for 8 days in July, 2018. There is no notice when this waiting list will re-open.

There were two ways to apply during the opening period:

  1. Download and print the application online.

  2. Pick up an application at the Berkeley County leasing office located at 1719 University Avenue, Berkeley, California, 94703

Once the paper application had been completed, it had to be mailed or dropped off at the Berkeley County leasing office at the above address.

Preferences were not confirmed.

100 applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery.

For more information call the BHA office at (510) 647-0700.

Last Updated on 08/10/2018.

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About City of Berkeley Housing Authority

1901 Fairview Street, Berkeley, CA | Visit Website | (510) 981-5470

City of Berkeley Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 1,995 low and moderate income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Public Housing programs..

Housing Authority Jurisdiction

Low-income housing managed by City of Berkeley Housing Authority is located in Berkeley, CA.

Households with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher managed by this housing authority must rent within its jurisdiction.

About the City of Berkeley Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, City of Berkeley Housing Authority manages 1,495 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

The following table summarizes types of vouchers managed and the monthly costs of each as of December 31st, 2021:

Standard Homeownership Tenant Protection Ported Out VASH
Vouchers 1,415 1 11 33 35
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $1,655 $1,115 $769 $785 $1,278
Monthly Cost $2,342,362 $1,115 $8,458 $25,915 $44,725
Waiting List and Tenancy

According to the 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households database, the housing authority's voucher program has an annual turnover of 3% having issued approximately 525 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 11 years and 8 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 66 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 1.8 persons and has a household income of $16,989 per year. 95% of households were very low income (VLI) and 80% were extremely low income (ELI). 24% of households had wages as a major source of income, 4% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 68% of households had other income (Social Security, Disability or Pension) as their major source of income.

Heads of Household Characteristics

1% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 34% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 23% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 43% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 4% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

26% of households included children, 4% of which had two adults in the household. 23% of households with children have a female head of household. 72% of all households were headed by a female.

77% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 64% of all heads of households being Black and 1% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the City of Berkeley Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 38% include at least one person with a disability. 46% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 79% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

45% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 42% with 2 bedrooms and 14% with 3 or more bedrooms. 15% of voucher recipients are considered overhoused, meaning they occupy a rental unit larger than their family size requires.

Rent, Assistance, and Utility Allowances

The average monthly tenant contribution to rent by City of Berkeley Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $444 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $1,473. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $81.

1. This Picture of Subsidized Households data field is the average wait time of those who received a voucher in the preceding 12 months. Due to special voucher programs like VASH, recent waiting list purges, or waiting list preferences the average wait time can vary significantly from one year to the next and it is entirely possible many current applicants on the waiting list have been waiting for assistance for far longer.