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Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development

100 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA

Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development Waiting Lists

Waiting ListStatus
State of Massachusetts Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Open Until Further Notice

There is one waiting list open now that is offered directly by Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.

Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development offers the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Moving to Work programs in Massachusetts.

Open Until Further Notice: State of Massachusetts Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List

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Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.

The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (MDHCD) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently open until further notice.

To apply, download and print the application online here.

Once the application has been completed, it must be mailed or hand delivered to one of the agencies listed on Page 2 of the application.

This waiting list has the following preferences for applicants with income that is more than 30% of the Area Median Income: Involuntarily displaced by fire, natural disaster, government action, domestic violence, landlord action, having a disability, or result of witnessing a crime; living in substandard housing; homeless; paying more than 50% of income towards rent for more than 90 days. Applicants with income less than 30% of the Area Median Income do not have preferences.

For more information, visit the MDHCD website, or call the office at (617)-573-1150

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via 6175731100.

Next Steps

Learn more about what happens after the application is submitted.

Last Updated on 07/26/2017.

About Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development

Website: http://www.mass.gov/hed/economic/eohed/dhcd/.

Phone: (617) 573-1100.

About the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development manages 21,867 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

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

Family Unification Tenant Protection Moving To Work Ported Out VASH
Vouchers 168 261 19,938 135 579
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $1,256 $953 $1,141 $951 $1,001
Monthly Cost $210,983 $248,854 $22,746,488 $128,360 $579,309
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 7% having issued approximately 3,099 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 11 years and 9 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 $16,643 per year. 95% of households were very low income (VLI) and 79% were extremely low income (ELI). 30% of households had wages as a major source of income, 8% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 60% 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, 52% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 27% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 19% 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, 3% of which had two adults in the household. 41% of households with children have a female head of household. 81% of all households were headed by a female.

60% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 24% of all heads of households being Black and 3% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development Housing Choice Voucher program, 30% include at least one person with a disability. 48% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 76% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

26% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 35% with 2 bedrooms and 38% with 3 or more bedrooms. 20% 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 Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development voucher holders in 2016 was $416 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $1,029. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $119.

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.