Seattle Housing Authority, Seattle, Washington

About Seattle Housing Authority

The Seattle Housing Authority is a Section 8 and Public Housing Public Housing Agency in Seattle, Washington.

The Seattle Housing Authority serves Seattle.

Seattle Housing Authority Waiting Lists

Public Housing Waiting List: Open Indefinitely

The Seattle Housing Authority is currently accepting public housing waiting list applications for families and senior/disabled individuals.

This housing authority offers 31 public housing communities for families and senior/disabled individuals. For a complete listing of each community please follow this link.

There are three ways to apply for public housing:

1. Apply online here.

2. Download the application here, then print and complete.

3. Visit the housing authority to pick up an application, located at 190 Queen Anne Ave. North, Seattle, WA 98109, Monday-Friday between the hours of 8am and 4:30pm.

Once the paper application has been completed, it can be mailed or hand delivered to the address listed above. No documents are needed at this time.

Please Note: You must check in with the housing authority every month to keep your spot on the waiting list by calling 866-623-5111.

This housing authority does have a preference point system that may improve your spot on the waiting list: homeless, or extremely low income.

More information can be found by visiting the housing authority website at http://seattlehousing.org/, or by calling 206-239-1737, during normal office hours.

Last Updated on 05/22/2015.

Seattle, Washington Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List: Closed

The Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. It was last open for nearly three weeks in February 2017; and prior to that from March 2015 until April 2015.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.

This waiting list has the following preference: Households that are 30% of less of AMI.

3,500 applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, after sorting preferences.

For more information, visit the SHA website, or call the office at (206) 615-3300.

Last Updated on 02/24/2017.

About the Seattle Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the most recent VMS report, Seattle Housing Authority manages 9,407 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

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

	Family Unification	Tenant Protection	Moving To Work	VASH
Vouchers	208	404	8,382	380
Monthly Cost Per Voucher	$1,045	$636	$774	$677
Monthly Cost	$217,433	$256,970	$6,486,564	$257,420

Household Characteristics of Voucher Holders for Seattle 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 14% having issued approximately 564 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 8 years0 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of -1 months on the waiting list¹.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.1 persons and has a household income of $14,253 per year. 96% of households were very low income (VLI) and 84% were extremely low income (ELI). 26% of households had wages as a major source of income, 13% 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, 41% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 26% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 31% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 3% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

32% of households included children, 8% of which had two adults in the household. 26% of households with children have a female head of household. 59% of all households were headed by a female.

64% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 44% of all heads of households being Black and 1% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Seattle Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 33% include at least one person with a disability. 50% 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

56% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 25% with 2 bedrooms and 20% with 3 or more bedrooms. 8% 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 Seattle Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $352 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $776. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $88.

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.

Public Housing Operated by Seattle Housing Authority