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Harris County Housing Authority

Waiting Lists

Learn more about Harris County Housing Authority.

Closed: Harris County, Texas Section 8 HCV

The Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List is currently closed. Applications were last accepted from March 23, 2020, until March 25, 2020. 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 preferences:

  • Families who live or work or hired to work in Harris County, Texas .
  • Any family that has been terminated from HCHA’s HCV program due to insufficient program funding.
  • Families that include victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking who are seeking an emergency transfer under VAWA from other covered housing programs operated by the PHA.
  • The PHA will house up to 100 families who were selected due to qualifying for HCHA’s Mental Health Jail Diversion Pilot Program preference.
  • The PHA will issue vouchers to up to 20 families that qualify for HCHA’s Shelter Plus Care program preference.

5,000 applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, weighed by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the HCHA website.

Sources: This information was verified by the Harris County Housing Authority, as of March 23, 2020

Service Area

This waiting list is for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance in Harris County, Texas; excluding Houston.

Last Updated on 09/20/2020.

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About Harris County Housing Authority

1933 Hussion Street, Houston, TX | Visit Website | (713) 578-2100

Harris County Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 4,574 low and moderate income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program..

Housing Authority Jurisdiction

Low-income housing managed by Harris County Housing Authority is located in Harris County, TX.

The Housing Authority does not serveHouston

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

About the Harris County Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Harris County Housing Authority manages 4,812 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 Ported Out VASH
Vouchers 3,874 38 11 140 23 585
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $824 $805 $630 $896 $1,050 $612
Monthly Cost $3,193,900 $30,602 $6,930 $125,420 $24,151 $358,154
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 11% having issued approximately 440 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 7 years0 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 56 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.6 persons and has a household income of $13,913 per year. 93% of households were very low income (VLI) and 71% were extremely low income (ELI). 34% of households had wages as a major source of income, 1% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 59% 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, 21% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 18% 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.

54% of households included children, 2% of which had two adults in the household. 51% of households with children have a female head of household. 81% of all households were headed by a female.

94% 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 Harris County Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 20% include at least one person with a disability. 29% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 72% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

23% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 32% with 2 bedrooms and 45% with 3 or more bedrooms. 22% 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 Harris County Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $343 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $801. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $96.

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.