Analysis by Lorena Bentley
Last Updated: May, 16th 2024
The Prince William County Office of Housing & Community Development (OHCD) last accepted Emergency Housing Assistance Program, II (EHAP, II) waiting list applications from June 5, 2023, until February 19, 2024. There is no notice when this waiting list will reopen.
Please note: According to the OHCD notice "The Emergency Housing Assistance Program, II (Subsistence Payments) will be provided to all eligible households who currently have arrearages in Mortgage, Rent, Homeowner Association (HOA) and/or Utilities, causing financial hardships which could potentially result in eviction, foreclosure and loss of utilities causing homelessness which could spread the Coronavirus. Subsistence Payments are defined as a one-time or short-term, (no more than six (6) consecutive months payments). Arrearages owed prior to March 1, 2020, are not eligible. All approved assistance payments will be paid directly to the Mortgage Company/Service Provider, Landlord/Owner, Homeowner Association Agency, and applicable Utility provider."
To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.
The maximum income limits for each household size were as followed:
Preferences have not been confirmed.
It was not known how applicants were placed on the waiting list.
For more information, visit the OHCD website.
Sources: This information was verified by the OHCD notice on May 16, 2024.
Emergency Housing Assistance Program, II has preferences for: Preferences Unconfirmed. Preferences are not required but Emergency Housing Voucher applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
Emergency Housing Assistance Program, II Emergency Housing Voucher Waiting List is managed by Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development.
Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development provides affordable housing for up to 2,074 low- and moderate-income households through its public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Prince William County, Virginia.
After applying, it's a good practice to keep a record of any application that you submit. This will help you keep track of your application, and is especially useful if you apply to multiple waiting lists. You can do this easily with a document on your computer or mobile device, and also with a notebook or piece of paper.
Make sure to write down your application or confirmation number with the application details. This number will be important to reference in the future. Once you have this information written, keep it stored in a place that's easy to access when you need it.
With this information safely stored, all you have left to do is wait to find out if you've been selected for the waiting list.
Depending on the area, it may take weeks or even months to know if you've been selected for the waiting list. Your wait for an announcement is usually the longest in areas with large populations and a high demand for housing assistance.
Check if the public notice states when the housing authority plans to announce the results, or how long it may take to review applications. Contact the housing authority if this information isn't available.
Once all applications are reviewed, the housing authority will either contact everyone who has been placed on the waiting list, or message everyone who applied to check their results.
The housing authority will use the contact information you give in the application to reach you (usually by mail, email, or phone). For this reason, it is very important to put valid contact information on your application. Make sure you keep your contact information up to date, and that you respond quickly if any further action is required.
If you don't get contacted by the housing authority, it might mean that you were not chosen for the waiting list. Sometimes, housing authorities do not contact applicants who were not placed on the waiting list. Check with the housing authority for confirmation.
To check your status on the waiting list, you usually have to log into an online portal, call a phone number, or visit the office. Each housing authority has different ways for you to check your status.
Some housing authorities will give your spot on the waiting list, but others might only confirm that you're still on the waiting list. Make sure that you have your application or confirmation number with you when checking your status.
To update your waiting list application, you usually have to log into an online portal, call a phone number, or submit a form to the office. Each housing authority has different ways for you to update your application.
Make sure that you have your application or confirmation number with you when updating your application.
You cannot apply for a waiting list that is closed until it is reopened by the housing authority. It is not known when the housing authority will announce the next opening.
To apply online, an electronic form must be submitted to the housing authority on the internet. Many online applications require an account to be created to log in, and also a valid email address.
If you are considering applying for a voucher, you may be interested to know who already has a voucher, and what the households tend to look like. Fortunately, we can provide some helpful statistics using HUD's 2023 Picture of Subsidized Households. The following data describes the economic and demographic characteristics of renters who have a Section or project-based voucher issued by Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development.
At the start of 2024, Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development was managing 2,223 Section 8 vouchers. Of the total number of vouchers managed, there were 1,734 households with a voucher. This represents 78% of the total voucher allotment for Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development.
According to HUD, there is a total of 4,909 people living in households with a Section 8 voucher issued by Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development, with the average number of people per household being 3.
The 1,734 households with a Section 8 voucher at the start of 2024 waited on average 100 months to receive their voucher. Of those voucher-holding households, 121 got their voucher in the last year. This represents 7 percent of voucher holders with vouchers issued by Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development.
Though Section 8 voucher programs are over-subscribed across the nation with all programs having a waiting list, each month, each housing agency managing vouchers has vouchers that are not issued to renters. This can result from turnover in the program if someone with a voucher buys a home, sees an increase in their income, passes away, or otherwise discontinues the use of their voucher.
The time it takes to transfer voucher funding from one recipient to another can be many months. Managing the Section 8 waiting list, qualifying new voucher holders, and approving new homes or apartments takes time. In addition, in some areas, there is an extreme housing shortage or landlords may refuse to rent to persons using a Section 8 voucher to pay their rent. This results in longer than usual ramp-up times for new voucher holders.
The Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development Section 8 HCV program that this waiting list covers had 78% of its vouchers utilized by households with 22% unutilized at the start of 2024. This means that 489 Section 8 vouchers out of a total of 2,223 were in processing at the time HUD reported the data.
Of the 1,734 Section 8 voucher-holding households with the Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development, 1,000 have at least one child. There are 89 two-parent households in the Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development voucher program, and 911 single-parent households. There were 934 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development Section 8 Voucher holders is $23,652 The average annual income per person is $9,034 The average voucher holder earns 18% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 87 | 5% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 121 | 7% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 486 | 28% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 208 | 12% |
| $20,000+ | 815 | 47% |
Of all voucher holders, 867 (39%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 44 (2%) voucher-holding households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 1,178 (53%) voucher-holding households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program pays 70% of the cost of rent plus utilities for any household receiving the housing assistance.
For the Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development Section 8 program, the federal government is providing, on average, $1,507 per month to each household, for an average annual cost of $18,084. The program as a whole is paying landlords $2,613,138 per month, for an annual economic benefit to landlords of $31,357,656
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the Section 8 tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development Section 8 HCV programs, the average family expenditure is $618 per month or $7,416 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $1,071,612 per month, which is $12,859,344 per year.
The average total rent paid to Section 8 landlords is $2,125 per month which includes payment contributed by both tenant households and the federal government. This is a program-wide rent average across all bedroom size rentals.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $211 per month. It is important to note this is not the actual cost renters will pay for utilities, but an estimate based on the energy cost estimates of the program.
Of the 2,223 households with a Section 8 voucher, 364 (21%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 555 (32%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 815 (47%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 28% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
83% of Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development Section 8 HCV program households have a minority head of household who is Black, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander; or of Hispanic ethnicity.
| Race | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 35 | 2% |
| Black Non-Hispanic | 1,266 | 73% |
| Native American/Alaskan | 0 | 0% |
| White Non-Hispanic | 295 | 17% |
| Black Hispanic | 52 | 3% |
| White Hispanic | 69 | 4% |
| Other Hispanic | 0 | 0% |
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 35 | 2% |
| 25-50/td> | 884 | 51% |
| 51-61 | 416 | 24% |
| 62-84 | 399 | 23% |
| 85 or Older | 17 | 1% |
Housing options for families with immigrants.
If the head of household is a citizen or eligible immigrant, you can still qualify for HUD programs with a citizenship requirement.Hisini Davis says:
"I love Affordable Housing Online, it shows me what's open and also when waiting lists close."