Orange County Housing Authority

Waiting Lists

Learn more about Orange County Housing Authority.

Open: Buena Esperanza Apartments Section 8 Project-Based Voucher

Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.

The Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA) Homeless Veteran Section 8 Project-Based Voucher waiting list for Studio apartments at Buena Esperanza Apartments is currently open

The OCHA is accepting referrals for this waiting list from March 10, 2021, until further notice.

To apply during the opening period, applicants must be referred by the VA Community Resource & Referral Center (CRRC). To schedule an appointment and directions to the CRRC please contact (844) 838-8300 or (714) 562-9803. Applicants may also dial 2-1-1 to be connected to a CES access point for veterans.

This waiting list has the following preferences:

  • Preference will be given to those who meet HUD-VASH eligibility criteria and referred by the Orange County Coordinated Entry System (CES).  

Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received, weighed by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the OCHA website.

Sources: This information was verified by the OCHA on November 3, 2021.

Service Area

This waiting list is for Section 8 Project-Based Voucher rental assistance in Anaheim, California.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (714) 480-2700.

IMPORTANT: This is not the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. Section 8 Project-Based Voucher tenants are required to live in a specific apartment community or scattered site. After one year of occupancy, a Project-Based Voucher tenant may request to be placed on a waiting list to receive the next available Housing Choice Voucher or similar tenant-based rental assistance.

Last Updated on 11/05/2021.

↑ Back To Top

Open: Westminster Crossing Apartments Section 8 Project-Based Voucher

Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.

The Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA) Homeless Section 8 Project-Based Voucher waiting list for 1-Bedroom apartments at Westminster Crossing Apartments is currently open

The OCHA is accepting referrals for this waiting list from April 7, 2021, until further notice.

To apply during the opening period, applicants must be referred by the Orange County Coordinated Entry System (CES) to OCHA. Call 2-1-1 and ask to be connected to a CES access point.

This waiting list has the following preferences:

  • applicants who are experiencing homelessness, eligible for services under the Special Needs Housing Program, and referred by the Orange County Coordinated Entry System (CES) to OCHA.  

Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received, weighed by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the OCHA website.

Sources: This information was verified by the OCHA on November 3, 2021.

Service Area

This waiting list is for Section 8 Project-Based Voucher rental assistance in Westminster, California.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (714) 480-2700.

IMPORTANT: This is not the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. Section 8 Project-Based Voucher tenants are required to live in a specific apartment community or scattered site. After one year of occupancy, a Project-Based Voucher tenant may request to be placed on a waiting list to receive the next available Housing Choice Voucher or similar tenant-based rental assistance.

Last Updated on 03/28/2022.

↑ Back To Top

Open: Altrudy Senior Apartments Senior Section 8 Project-Based Voucher

Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.

The Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA) Homeless Senior Section 8 Project-Based Voucher waiting list for 1-Bedroom apartments at Altrudy Senior Apartments is currently open

The OCHA is accepting referrals for this waiting list from September 14, 2021 until further notice.

To apply during the opening period, applicants must be referred by the Orange County Coordinated Entry System (CES) to OCHA. Call 2-1-1 and ask to be connected to a CES access point.

This waiting list has the following preferences:

  • Applicants aged 62 and older, who are experiencing homelessness, eligible for services under the Special Needs Housing Program, and referred by the Orange County Coordinated Entry System (CES) to OCHA.  

Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received, weighed by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the OCHA website.

Sources: This information was verified by the OCHA on November 3, 2021.

Service Area

This waiting list is for Senior Section 8 Project-Based Voucher rental assistance in Yorba Linda, California.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (714) 480-2700.

IMPORTANT: This is not the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. Section 8 Project-Based Voucher tenants are required to live in a specific apartment community or scattered site. After one year of occupancy, a Project-Based Voucher tenant may request to be placed on a waiting list to receive the next available Housing Choice Voucher or similar tenant-based rental assistance.

Last Updated on 03/21/2022.

↑ Back To Top

Closed: Orange County Housing Authority Section 8 HCV

The Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List is currently closed. It was last open in February 2013, and before that in 2005. OCHA officials do not expect the waiting list to reopen for many years after 2013.  

Last Updated on 07/20/2015.

↑ Back To Top

About Orange County Housing Authority

1501 East Saint Andrew Place, Santa Ana, CA | Visit Website | (714) 480-2700

Orange County Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 11,091 low and moderate income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program..

Housing Authority Jurisdiction

Low-income housing managed by Orange County Housing Authority is located in Orange County, CA.

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

About the Orange County Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Orange County Housing Authority manages 10,144 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 Family Unification Tenant Protection Ported Out VASH Non-Elderly Disabled
Vouchers 9,005 5 278 45 25 756 26
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $1,349 $953 $1,744 $1,437 $1,022 $1,303 $1,338
Monthly Cost $12,146,031 $4,764 $484,856 $64,671 $25,554 $985,399 $34,775
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 5% having issued approximately 2,315 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 10 years and 11 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 42 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.1 persons and has a household income of $18,341 per year. 95% of households were very low income (VLI) and 78% were extremely low income (ELI). 29% of households had wages as a major source of income, 3% 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

0% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 25% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 23% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 51% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 7% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

23% of households included children, 9% of which had two adults in the household. 16% of households with children have a female head of household. 62% of all households were headed by a female.

65% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 9% of all heads of households being Black and 0% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Orange County Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 24% include at least one person with a disability. 36% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 48% 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, 40% with 2 bedrooms and 15% with 3 or more bedrooms. 9% 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 Orange County Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $503 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $1,377. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $75.

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.