About Yakima Housing Authority

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

The Yakima Housing Authority serves Yakima.

Yakima Housing Authority Waiting Lists

Public Housing Waiting List: Open Indefinitely

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

This housing authority offers thirteen public housing apartment communities for families and senior/disabled individuals.

There are two ways to apply for public housing:
1. Visit the housing authority to pick up an application, located at 810 North 6th Ave., Yakima, WA 98902, Monday-Thursday between the hours of 12:30pm and 5:30pm.

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.

No preferences were noted.

More information can be found by visiting the housing authority website at http://www.yakimahousing.org/, or they can be reached with any questions you may have by calling 509-453-3106, Monday-Thursday between the hours of 12:30pm and 5:30pm.

Last Updated on 05/22/2015.

Yakima Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List: Closed

The Yakima Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List is currently closed.

Last Updated on 07/20/2015.

About the Yakima Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the most recent VMS report, Yakima Housing Authority manages 885 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

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

Standard Tenant Protection Ported Out VASH Non-Elderly Disabled
Vouchers 562 22 11 70 25
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $444 $503 $718 $338 $393
Monthly Cost $249,742 $11,060 $7,895 $23,638 $9,818

Household Characteristics of Voucher Holders for Yakima 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 21% having issued approximately 40 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 5 years and 5 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 20 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.4 persons and has a household income of $13,044 per year. 92% of households were very low income (VLI) and 66% were extremely low income (ELI). 27% of households had wages as a major source of income, 8% 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, 53% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 19% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 24% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 2% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

50% of households included children, 4% of which had two adults in the household. 42% of households with children have a female head of household. 71% of all households were headed by a female.

42% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 6% of all heads of households being Black and 0% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Yakima Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 19% include at least one person with a disability. 32% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 61% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

39% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 29% with 2 bedrooms and 31% with 3 or more bedrooms. 12% 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 Yakima Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $331 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $556. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $91.



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.