Analysis by Nathan Brunet
Last Updated: February, 23rd 2024
This waiting list is for Section 8 Project-Based Voucher rental housing assistance in Cherokee, Floyd, Lowndes, Peach, Pulaski and Randolph County, Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs Section 8 Project-Based Voucher waiting list for apartments at Hearthstone Landing, Pine Ridge Apartments, The Pines Family Campus, College Square Apartments, Henry Way, Georgia Wallace and the Millennium Center is currently open.
The GDCA is accepting applications for this waiting list from April 6, 2022 at 12:00 am, until further notice.
This waiting list is for the following properties:
To apply during the opening period, complete the online application in English here, and in Spanish here.
Preferences have not yet been confirmed.
It is not known how applicants will be placed on the waiting list.
For more information, visit the GDCA website.
Sources: This information was verified by the GDCA on April 6, 2022.
The application may be completed online at https://gadca.tenmast.com/apply/.
Multiple Properties has preferences for: Preferences Unconfirmed. Preferences are not required but Section 8 Project-Based Voucher applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
Multiple Properties Section 8 Project-Based Voucher Waiting List is managed by Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Georgia Department of Community Affairs provides affordable housing for up to 17,326 low- and moderate-income households through its public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Appling County, Atkinson County, Bacon County, Baker County, Baldwin County, Banks County, Barrow County, Bartow County, Ben Hill County, Berrien County, Bleckley County, Brantley County, Brooks County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Burke County, Butts County, Calhoun County, Camden County, Candler County, Carroll County, Catoosa County, Charlton County, Chattahoochee County, Chattooga County, Cherokee County, Clarke County, Clay County, Clinch County, Coffee County, Colquitt County, Columbia County, Cook County, Coweta County, Crawford County, Crisp County, Dade County, Dawson County, Decatur County, Dodge County, Dooly County, Dougherty County, Douglas County, Early County, Effingham County, Elbert County, Emanuel County, Evans County, Fannin County, Fayette County, Floyd County, Forsyth County, Franklin County, Gilmer County, Glascock County, Gordon County, Grady County, Greene County, Gwinnett County, Habersham County, Hall County, Hancock County, Haralson County, Harris County, Hart County, Heard County, Henry County, Houston County, Irwin County, Jackson County, Jasper County, Jeff Davis County, Jefferson County, Jenkins County, Johnson County, Jones County, Lamar County, Lanier County, Laurens County, Lee County, Liberty County, Lincoln County, Long County, Lowndes County, Lumpkin County, Macon County, Madison County, Marion County, McDuffie County, McIntosh County, Meriwether County, Miller County, Mitchell County, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Murray County, Newton County, Oconee County, Oglethorpe County, Paulding County, Peach County, Pickens County, Pierce County, Pike County, Polk County, Pulaski County, Putnam County, Quitman County, Rabun County, Randolph County, Rockdale County, Schley County, Screven County, Seminole County, Spalding County, Stephens County, Stewart County, Talbot County, Taliaferro County, Tattnall County, Taylor County, Telfair County, Terrell County, Thomas County, Tift County, Toombs County, Towns County, Treutlen County, Troup County, Turner County, Twiggs County, Union County, Upson County, Walker County, Walton County, Ware County, Warren County, Washington County, Wayne County, Webster County, Wheeler County, White County, Whitfield County, Wilcox County, Wilkes County, Wilkinson County, Worth County, Georgia. Service does not extend to Bibb County, Service does not extend to Chatham County, Service does not extend to Clayton County, Service does not extend to Cobb County, Service does not extend to DeKalb County, Service does not extend to Fulton County, Service does not extend to Glynn County, Service does not extend to Muscogee County, Service does not extend to Richmond County, Service does not extend to Sumter County, Georgia.
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 can apply for a waiting list that is open until further notice while it stays open for an unknown period of time. Usually, the housing authority is accepting applications until the waiting list closes, but some of these waiting lists never close.
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 Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
At the start of 2024, Georgia Department of Community Affairs was managing 18,007 Section 8 vouchers. Of the total number of vouchers managed, there were 11,344 households with a voucher. This represents 63% of the total voucher allotment for Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
According to HUD, there is a total of 32,608 people living in households with a Section 8 voucher issued by Georgia Department of Community Affairs, with the average number of people per household being 3.
The 11,344 households with a Section 8 voucher at the start of 2024 waited on average 14 months to receive their voucher. Of those voucher-holding households, 794 got their voucher in the last year. This represents 7 percent of voucher holders with vouchers issued by Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
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 Georgia Department of Community Affairs Section 8 HCV program that this waiting list covers had 63% of its vouchers utilized by households with 37% unutilized at the start of 2024. This means that 6663 Section 8 vouchers out of a total of 18,007 were in processing at the time HUD reported the data.
Of the 11,344 Section 8 voucher-holding households with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 9,724 have at least one child. There are 180 two-parent households in the Georgia Department of Community Affairs voucher program, and 9,544 single-parent households. There were 9,544 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Georgia Department of Community Affairs Section 8 Voucher holders is $16,185 The average annual income per person is $5,886 The average voucher holder earns 21% of the local Area Median Income.
Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
---|---|---|
Less than $5,000 | 1,361 | 12% |
$5,000 - $9,999 | 1,021 | 9% |
$10,000 - $14,999 | 3,857 | 34% |
$15,000 - $19,999 | 1,361 | 12% |
$20,000+ | 3,630 | 32% |
Of all voucher holders, 5,402 (30%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 0 (0%) voucher-holding households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 10,984 (61%) 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 Georgia Department of Community Affairs Section 8 program, the federal government is providing, on average, $1,024 per month to each household, for an average annual cost of $12,288. The program as a whole is paying landlords $11,616,256 per month, for an annual economic benefit to landlords of $139,395,072
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the Section 8 tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Section 8 HCV programs, the average family expenditure is $399 per month or $4,788 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $4,526,256 per month, which is $54,315,072 per year.
The average total rent paid to Section 8 landlords is $1,423 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 $153 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 18,007 households with a Section 8 voucher, 1,361 (12%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 3,403 (30%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 6,693 (59%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 34% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
91% of Georgia Department of Community Affairs 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 | 0 | 0% |
Black Non-Hispanic | 9,983 | 88% |
Native American/Alaskan | 0 | 0% |
White Non-Hispanic | 1,021 | 9% |
Black Hispanic | 113 | 1% |
White Hispanic | 227 | 2% |
Other Hispanic | 0 | 0% |
Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
---|---|---|
Under 24 | 113 | 1% |
25-50/td> | 6,693 | 59% |
51-61 | 2,155 | 19% |
62-84 | 2,382 | 21% |
85 or Older | 113 | 1% |
Know your rights as a Section 8 tenant.
Some states and local governments have laws that protect renters with a Section 8 voucher who are looking for an available unit. Check your local laws.Marla Senter says:
"Affordable Housing Online is the most cohesive and correct information on housing out there online or off."