Memphis Housing Authority

700 Adams Avenue
Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee 38105

Memphis Housing Authority is a Public Housing Agency in Memphis, Tennessee that participates in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), and Public Housing programs.

Memphis Housing Authority serves Memphis.

Waiting List Statuses

Waiting List	Status
Memphis, Tennessee Housing Choice Voucher	Closed
Public Housing	Closed

Other Memphis Housing Authority Waiting Lists

Closed: Memphis, Tennessee Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List

How To Apply to the Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List

The Memphis Housing Authority (MHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. It was last open for five days in October 2017; and before that in 2013. 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.

This waiting list had the following preference: MHA Public Housing residents.

15,000 applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, by order of preferences. About 12 weeks after the lottery process has completed, all applicants will receive a letter informing them if they have been placed on the waiting list.

Applicants received a receipt number after submitting the application. It is important to keep this information in a safe and easy to access place.

If any application information changes after applying, write a letter to the MHA at:

Memphis Housing Authority
Housing Choice Voucher Program
700 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38105

For more information, visit the MHA website.

Last Updated on 04/10/2019.

Closed: Public Housing Waiting List

How To Apply to the Public Housing Waiting List

The Memphis Housing Authority (MHA) Public Housing waiting list is currently closed. It is not known when this waiting list was last open, or when it will reopen.

Please note: As of June 11, 2019, on the MHA Public Housing page, there is a "2017 MHA Application Process and Information" link that gives information on how to apply, with a list of communities that have an open waiting list. There is also an "APPLY FOR PUBLIC HOUSING" link in the website's footer, linking to the same information. However, a MHA representative contacted Affordable Housing Online on June 11, 2019, stating, "We do not currently have an open wait list for public housing." The information on the MHA website is incorrect.

For more information, visit the MHA website.

Last Updated on 06/11/2019.

About Memphis Housing Authority

More information about Memphis Housing Authority can be found on its website at http://memphisha.org/.

Representatives of Memphis Housing Authority may be available by phone at (901) 544-1100. Unless otherwise noted above, applications will not be provided or accepted by phone.

HCV Portability Status

As of 11/15/2019, it is not known if Memphis Housing Authority is either absorbing or billing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher portability requests for porting in. Learn more about porting Housing Choice Vouchers to a new area here.

About the Memphis Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the most recent VMS report, Memphis Housing Authority manages 7,445 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

The following is a summary of the types of vouchers managed and the monthly costs of each:

	Standard	Homeownership	Tenant Protection	Ported Out	VASH
Vouchers	6,268	27	630	136	382
Monthly Cost Per Voucher	$542	$340	$597	$842	$338
Monthly Cost	$3,394,200	$9,167	$375,888	$114,549	$129,302

Household Characteristics of Voucher Holders for Memphis Housing Authority

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 13% having issued approximately 586 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 7 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 8 months on the waiting list¹.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.8 persons and has a household income of $11,712 per year. 94% of households were very low income (VLI) and 73% were extremely low income (ELI). 34% 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

4% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 66% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 19% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 11% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 0% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

61% of households included children, 1% of which had two adults in the household. 60% of households with children have a female head of household. 90% of all households were headed by a female.

99% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 95% of all heads of households being Black and 3% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Memphis Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 14% include at least one person with a disability. 23% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 74% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

13% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 30% with 2 bedrooms and 57% 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 Memphis Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $319 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $680. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $165.

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.