Woonsocket Housing Authority

Open: Rhode Island Housing Choice Voucher Centralized

This housing authority participates in the Rhode Island Housing Choice Voucher Program Centralized Wait List, which is a partnership between 18 of the 28 housing authorities in Rhode Island. Applicants submit one application to apply to a centralized waiting list. Conditionally eligible applicants will be placed on a housing authority's waiting list if they fall within the agency's maximum income limit.

The Rhode Island Housing Choice Voucher Program Centralized Wait List Portal Section 8 HCV waiting list is currently open.

The Rhode island Centralized waiting list will accept applications from December 17, 2017 at 12:01 am ET, until further notice.

To apply, complete the online application here

Applications that are mailed, faxed, e-mailed or hand delivered will not be processed.

The waiting list will be sorted differently by each housing authority according to its own preferences.

Participating housing authorities may have any of the following preferences: Chronically Homeless (Pawtucket), Disabled Head or Co-Head (Cumberland and some RIHousing Project Based Voucher sites), Disabled Vet (Smithfield, Woonsocket), Displacement (Newport and Woonsocket), For Elderly Families (Cumberland and some RIHousing Project Based Voucher sites), Full-Time Student (North Providence), Homeless Preference (RI Housing), Job Training (Portsmouth, Woonsocket), Money Follows the Person (RI Housing), Near Elderly (North Providence), Relocation, Rent Burdened (Woonsocket), Supportive Services (Certain RIHousing Project Based Voucher sites, Termination due to Insufficient Funding, Family previously terminated from the Johnston Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Program (ONLY) due to insufficient funding, Unstable Housing Situation (RI Housing), Veteran (East Greenwich, East Providence, Pawtucket, Smithfield, South Kingstown, Warren, Woonsocket), Victim of Domestic Violence (Providence, Portsmouth, Woonsocket, RI Housing tenant-based and certain Project Based Voucher sites), Witness Protection (Woonsocket), Working Family and/or Elderly/Disabled (Central Falls, Coventry, Newport, North Providence, Pawtucke, Warwick [if working, 30 hours/week], Woonsocket [if working, 20 hours/week for at least 1 month])

Further explanation of each preference can be found on the application.

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

Persons requiring assistance completing an application can call Rhode Island Housing (RIH) at (844) 459-3600, or email waitlist@rihousing.com.

For more information, visit the Rhode Island Housing website.

Sources: This information was verified by the Rhode Island Centralized page on December 28, 2022.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (401) 457-1288 or TTY (401) 450-1394.

Last Updated on 12/28/2022.

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About Woonsocket Housing Authority

679 Social Street, Woonsocket, RI | Visit Website | (401) 767-8000

Woonsocket Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 1,946 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 Woonsocket Housing Authority is located in Woonsocket, RI.

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

About the Woonsocket Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Woonsocket Housing Authority manages 581 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

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

Standard Tenant Protection Ported Out Non-Elderly Disabled
Vouchers 490 8 48 35
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $646 $572 $674 $604
Monthly Cost $316,361 $4,577 $32,360 $21,126
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 6% having issued approximately 99 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 9 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 85 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.5 persons and has a household income of $15,918 per year. 94% of households were very low income (VLI) and 68% were extremely low income (ELI). 33% of households had wages as a major source of income, 2% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 63% 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, 60% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 22% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 17% 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.

51% of households included children, 6% of which had two adults in the household. 48% of households with children have a female head of household. 88% of all households were headed by a female.

50% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 11% of all heads of households being Black and 1% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Woonsocket Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 26% include at least one person with a disability. 45% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 84% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

17% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 35% with 2 bedrooms and 48% with 3 or more bedrooms. 26% 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 Woonsocket Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $392 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $710. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $146.

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.