Chicago Housing Authority
Waiting Lists
Learn more about Chicago Housing Authority.
- Chicago Housing Authority Section 8 Project-Based Voucher is open.
- General Public Housing is open.
- Lake Parc Place Family Public Housing is open.
- Chicago Housing Authority Senior / Disabled Public Housing is open.
- Disaster Victims Low-Income is open.
- Chicago, Illinois Section 8 HCV is closed.
Open: Chicago Housing Authority 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Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.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 Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Section 8 Project-Based Voucher waiting list is currently open, from December 12, 2018 at 9:00 am CT, until further notice.
To apply, complete the online application here.
Preferences have not yet been confirmed.
Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received.
For more information, visit the CHA website here.
Reasonable Accommodation
Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (312) 742-8500.
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 02/11/2019.
Open: General Public Housing
Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) General Public Housing waiting list is currently open, from December 12, 2018 at 9:00 am CT, until further notice.
To apply, complete the online application here.
Preferences have not yet been confirmed.
Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received.
Income limit information can be found here.
For more information, visit the CHA Public Housing page here.
Reasonable Accommodation
Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (312) 742-8500.
Next Steps
Learn more about what happens after the application is submitted.
Last Updated on 04/29/2020.
Open: Lake Parc Place Family Public Housing
Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Family Public Housing waiting list for apartments at Lake Parc Place is currently open, since at least December 11, 2018, until further notice.
There are two ways to apply:
- Complete the online application here.
- Visit Lake Parc Place, located at 3983 S. Lake Park, Chicago, IL 60653, to complete an online application.
Income limit information can be found here.
For more information, visit the CHA Public Housing page here.
Reasonable Accommodation
Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (312) 742-8500.
Next Steps
Learn more about what happens after the application is submitted.
Last Updated on 12/11/2018.
Open: Chicago Housing Authority Senior / Disabled Public Housing
Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Senior Public Housing waiting list is currently open, since at least December 11, 2018, until further notice. Waiting lists for a specific community or bedroom size may be closed.
To apply, complete the online application here.
Income limit information can be found here.
For more information, visit the CHA Public Housing page here.
Reasonable Accommodation
Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (312) 742-8500.
Next Steps
Learn more about what happens after the application is submitted.
Last Updated on 12/11/2018.
Open: Disaster Victims Low-Income
Please Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Disaster Victims waiting list is currently open, since at least December 11, 2018, until further notice.
To apply, complete the online application here.
For more information, visit the CHA website here.
Reasonable Accommodation
Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (312) 742-8500.
Last Updated on 12/11/2018.
Closed: Chicago, Illinois Section 8 HCV
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Section 8 waiting list is currently closed. It was last open for one month in October 2014; and before that in 2010. 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.
Preferences have not yet been confirmed.
Selected applicants were added to the waiting list by random lottery.
More than 280,000 people applied in 2014, up from the 203,000 people who applied in 2010.
Applicants were sent a letter by mail after April 2015 to notify them if they were placed on the waiting list or not.
The CHA estimates the wait time for those selected to be between 1 and 5 years.
For more information, visit the CHA Housing Choice Voucher Program page here.
Last Updated on 12/11/2018.
About Chicago Housing Authority
60 East Van Buren Street, Chicago, IL | Visit Website | (312) 742-8500
Chicago Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 76,679 low and moderate income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Public Housing programs..
In addition, Chicago Housing Authority offers other programs for eligible households, including:
- Moving to Work
- Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)
Housing Authority Jurisdiction
Low-income housing managed by Chicago Housing Authority is located in Chicago, IL.
Households with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher managed by this housing authority must rent within its jurisdiction.
About the Chicago Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Chicago Housing Authority manages 50,758 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 | Moving To Work | Ported Out | VASH | Non-Elderly Disabled | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vouchers | 37,700 | 373 | 770 | 2,846 | 682 | 1,855 | 1,069 | 100 |
| Monthly Cost Per Voucher | $1,001 | $764 | $1,159 | $1,040 | $0 | $567 | $871 | $935 |
| Monthly Cost | $37,733,108 | $284,875 | $892,276 | $2,959,829 | $0 | $1,052,534 | $930,820 | $93,526 |
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 9% having issued approximately 5,170 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 10 years and 2 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of -1 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 $12,776 per year. 95% of households were very low income (VLI) and 79% were extremely low income (ELI). 34% of households had wages as a major source of income, 5% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 56% of households had other income (Social Security, Disability or Pension) as their major source of income.
Heads of Household Characteristics
2% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 53% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 24% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 21% 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.
44% of households included children, 2% of which had two adults in the household. 41% of households with children have a female head of household. 82% of all households were headed by a female.
97% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 87% of all heads of households being Black and 1% being Hispanic.
Of all households participating in the Chicago Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 19% include at least one person with a disability. 26% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 65% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.
Bedroom Size and Overhousing
20% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 34% with 2 bedrooms and 46% with 3 or more bedrooms. 35% 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 Chicago Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $371 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $807. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $110.
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.
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