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District of Columbia Housing Authority

Waiting Lists

Learn more about District of Columbia Housing Authority.

Closed: District of Columbia Section 8 HCV

The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. It was last open in April, 2013. It is not known when the waiting list will reopen.

For more information, visit the DCHA website here.

Last Updated on 03/21/2019.

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Closed: District of Columbia Housing Authority Public Housing

The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) Public Housing waiting list is currently closed. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to pick up an application at the DCHA office.

Preferences were not confirmed.

It was not known how applicants were placed on the waiting list.

For more information, visit the DCHA website here. 

Last Updated on 03/21/2019.

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About District of Columbia Housing Authority

1133 North Capitol Street Northeast, Washington, DC | Visit Website | (202) 535-1500

District of Columbia Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 24,937 low and moderate income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Public Housing programs..

In addition, District of Columbia Housing Authority offers other programs for eligible households, including:

  • Homeownership Voucher
  • Family Self-Sufficiency
  • Moving to Work
  • Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH)
  • Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV)

Housing Authority Jurisdiction

Low-income housing managed by District of Columbia Housing Authority is located in Washington, DC.

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

About the District of Columbia Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, District of Columbia Housing Authority manages 12,220 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

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

Homeownership Family Unification Tenant Protection Moving To Work Ported Out VASH Non-Elderly Disabled
Vouchers 63 336 1,383 8,631 106 1,040 131
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $937 $1,909 $1,721 $1,552 $1,254 $1,416 $1,464
Monthly Cost $59,059 $641,563 $2,379,591 $13,396,963 $132,926 $1,472,954 $191,842
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 2,301 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 65 years and 0.99999999999994 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 9 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.3 persons and has a household income of $14,959 per year. 96% of households were very low income (VLI) and 85% were extremely low income (ELI). 24% of households had wages as a major source of income, 11% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 51% 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, 43% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 31% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 25% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 1% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

40% of households included children, 2% of which had two adults in the household. 37% of households with children have a female head of household. 77% of all households were headed by a female.

98% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 92% of all heads of households being Black and 2% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the District of Columbia Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 23% include at least one person with a disability. 31% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 57% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

35% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 32% with 2 bedrooms and 33% with 3 or more bedrooms. 19% 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 District of Columbia Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $408 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $1,132. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $224.

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.