Analysis by Lorena Bentley
Last Updated: December, 20th 2023
This waiting list is for Public Housing rental housing assistance in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Columbia Housing (CH) last accepted Public Housing waiting list applications for 3-Bedroom Apartments from December 18, 2023, until December 20, 2023. There is no notice when this waiting list will reopen.
To apply while the waitlist was open, applicants were required to complete the online application.
The maximum income limits for each household size were as followed:
Preferences have not been confirmed.
500 applicants were placed on this waiting list by random lottery, weighed by order of preferences.
For more information, visit the CH website.
Sources: This information was verified by the CH public notice on December 18, 2023.
3-Bedroom has preferences for: Preferences Unconfirmed. Preferences are not required but Public Housing applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
3-Bedroom Public Housing Waiting List is managed by Columbia Housing.
Columbia Housing provides affordable housing for up to 6,034 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Lexington County and Richland County, South Carolina.
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.
The wait to reach the top of this waiting list will be different for everyone.
It has not been confirmed if this waiting list has preferences. If there is at least one preference, those who qualify will have a shorter wait than those who don't. But if there are no preferences, all applicants are placed on the waiting list randomly. So, there could be a big difference between your wait time, depending on your spot on the waiting list.
If you are closer to the top of the waiting list, your wait may be just weeks or months long. But if you're closer to the end of the waiting list, it could take years to reach the top.
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.
A waiting list sorted by random lottery orders applicants who are selected for the waiting list by a random number system. The time you apply does not factor into your waiting list placement.
If you are considering applying to live in a Public Housing unit, you may be interested to know who already lives in these units, 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 live in Public Housing units provided by Columbia Housing.
At the start of 2024, Columbia Housing was managing 1,637 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 1,211 units occupied. This represents 74% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by Columbia Housing.
According to HUD, there is a total of 2,778 people living in Public Housing units managed by Columbia Housing, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 1,211 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 27 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 73 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 6 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by Columbia Housing.
The Columbia Housing Public Housing program that this waiting list covers had 74% of its units occupied by households with 26% unoccupied at the start of 2024.
Of the 1,211 Public Housing households in units managed by Columbia Housing, 802 have at least one child. There are 0 two-parent households in the Columbia Housing Public Housing units, and 802 single-parent households. There were 769 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Columbia Housing Public Housing tenant households is $16,356 The average annual income per person is $7,165 The average Public Housing household annual income is 24% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 157 | 13% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 109 | 9% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 412 | 34% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 133 | 11% |
| $20,000+ | 400 | 33% |
Of all Public Housing households, 540 (33%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 16 (1%) households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 884 (54%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the Columbia Housing Public Housing program, the federal government covers the cost of, on average, $1,021 per month for each household, which equates to annual cost of $12,252.
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Columbia Housing Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $359 per month or $4,308 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $434,749 per month, which is $5,216,988 per year.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $154 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 1,637 households living in Public Housing units, 291 (24%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 436 (36%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 472 (39%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 24% of Public Housing households are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
98% of Columbia Housing Public Housing 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 | 1,163 | 96% |
| Native American/Alaskan | 0 | 0% |
| White Non-Hispanic | 24 | 2% |
| Black Hispanic | 12 | 1% |
| White Hispanic | 0 | 0% |
| Other Hispanic | 0 | 0% |
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 24 | 2% |
| 25-50/td> | 594 | 49% |
| 51-61 | 218 | 18% |
| 62-84 | 363 | 30% |
| 85 or Older | 12 | 1% |
You can still apply to online applications without internet access.
If you don't have internet access, go to a local public library that has devices with an online connection.Sandra Lewis-Kidd says:
"I received daily updates from Affordable Housing Online on waiting list openings not only in my city, but also other states and cities accepting applications. I was able to apply, and was actually chosen for the Section 8 housing lottery!"