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Island County Housing Authority

7 NW 6th Street, Coupeville, WA

There is one waiting list open now offered by Island County Housing Authority.

Island County Housing Authority Waiting Lists

Waiting ListStatus
Island County Housing Authority Public Housing Open Until Further Notice
Island County Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Closed

Island County Housing Authority offers the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Public Housing programs in Island County.

Go to the Washington Section 8 Waiting Lists page or the Washington Public Housing Waiting Lists page for more nearby housing applications.

Open Until Further Notice: Public Housing 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Note: Due to the decentralized nature of affordable housing information, the information about this waiting list may be out of date.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 Island County Housing Authority is currently accepting public housing waiting list applications for senior/disabled individuals.

Please Note: This housing authority does not offer a public housing program for families.

This housing authority offers one community with 110 units dedicated to senior/disabled individuals.

There are two ways to apply for public housing:
1. Visit the housing authority to pick up an application, located at 7 NW 6th St, Coupeville, WA 98239, Monday-Thursday during normal office hours.
2. Request an application be mailed to you by calling (360) 678-4181, Monday-Thursday during normal office hours.

Once the application has been completed it can be mailed or hand delivered to the address listed above. Be sure to include copies of these documents with your application: social security cards, proof of income, and photo IDs for all adult household members.

This housing authority does not have a preference: your application is placed by date and time received.

For more information the housing authority can be reached by calling (360) 678-4181, Monday-Thursday during normal office hours.
Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants who need help completing the application due to disability can make a reasonable accommodation request to the housing authority via (360)678-4181.

Next Steps

Learn more about what happens after the application is submitted.

Last Updated on 05/22/2015.

Closed: Island County Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List

The Island County Housing Authority (ICHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed.  


The ICHA waiting list was last open May, 2015. It was the first time the waiting list was open since March 2009.

Applications were available at the following locations:
  • Good Cheer and Helping Hands in Langley
  • Island County Veterans Resource Center in Freeland
  • Island County Human Services
  • Senior Services of Island County
  • Compass Health Whidbey
  • Sunrise Services
  • Housing Authority of Island County office in Coupeville
  • Opportunity Coucil
  • CADA and the Senior Information and Assistance Center in Oak Harbor
  • Habitat for Humanity in Freeland and Oak Harbor
  • North Whidbey, South Whidbey and Camano Community Clinics
  • Standwood/Camano Senior Center

The Housing Authority administered 274 vouchers which are used to subsidize participants lease payments for privately owned apartments and houses located in the housing authority's jurisdiction.

If an application was received prior or after the April 1 - May 31 deadline, it was not accepted.

Incomplete applications were not accepted, so please read the cover letter. A lottery will be done each week when the housing authority receives its Thursday mail; those people chosen will be put on the waiting list.

Faxed applications were not accepted.

Applications were mailed or dropped off to the ICHA office.

Mailing Address:
  Housing Authority Office
  7 NW Sixth Street
  Coupeville, WA 98239

There were no preferences.

Last Updated on 07/20/2015.

About Island County Housing Authority

Website: https://www.islandcounty.net/humanservices/HomelessHousing.asp.

Phone: (360) 678-4181.

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

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Island County Housing Authority manages 205 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 Tenant Protection Ported Out VASH Non-Elderly Disabled
Vouchers 144 7 2 12 27 13
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $685 $1,140 $407 $1,529 $614 $740
Monthly Cost $98,685 $7,981 $813 $18,345 $16,578 $9,621
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 30 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 10 years and 3 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 35 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 1.8 persons and has a household income of $15,105 per year. 93% of households were very low income (VLI) and 69% were extremely low income (ELI). 28% 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 68% 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, 44% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 26% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 29% 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.

30% of households included children, 5% of which had two adults in the household. 27% of households with children have a female head of household. 79% of all households were headed by a female.

17% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 6% of all heads of households being Black and -1% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Island County Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 37% include at least one person with a disability. 57% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 67% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

19% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 51% with 2 bedrooms and 30% with 3 or more bedrooms. 44% 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 Island County Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $389 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $735. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $172.

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.