The Dowagiac Housing Commission (DHC) is currently accepting Public Housing waiting list pre-applications for families and senior/disabled individuals.The DHC offers one Public Housing community with 86 units for families and senior/disabled individuals.There are three ways to apply:1. Visit the DHC to pick up an application, located at 100 Chestnut Street, Dowagiac, MI 49047 during normal office hours.2. Request that a pre-application be mailed to you by calling (269) 782-3786 from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday.3. Download a pre-application here, then print and complete.Once the application has been completed, it can be mailed or hand delivered to the address listed above. No documents are needed at this time.The DHC does have a preference for: Applicants who are employed, live and/or work in Cass County, elderly, disabled.More information can be found by visiting the DHC website, or by calling (269) 782-3786 from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday.
Dowagiac Housing Commission has preferences for: Elderly, Live, Work, or Attend School Locally, Working/Employed, Disabled. Preferences are not required but Public Housing applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
Dowagiac Housing Commission Public Housing Waiting List is managed by Dowagiac Housing Commission.
Dowagiac Housing Commission provides affordable housing for up to 215 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Dowagiac, Michigan.
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.
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 Dowagiac Housing Commission.
At the start of 2024, Dowagiac Housing Commission was managing 86 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 79 units occupied. This represents 92% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by Dowagiac Housing Commission.
According to HUD, there is a total of 134 people living in Public Housing units managed by Dowagiac Housing Commission, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 79 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 25 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 15 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 19 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by Dowagiac Housing Commission.
The Dowagiac Housing Commission Public Housing program that this waiting list covers had 92% of its units occupied by households with 8% unoccupied at the start of 2024.
Of the 79 Public Housing households in units managed by Dowagiac Housing Commission, 22 have at least one child. There are 3 two-parent households in the Dowagiac Housing Commission Public Housing units, and 19 single-parent households. There were 19 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Dowagiac Housing Commission Public Housing tenant households is $14,634 The average annual income per person is $8,628 The average Public Housing household annual income is 25% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 3 | 4% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 6 | 7% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 41 | 52% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 15 | 19% |
| $20,000+ | 14 | 18% |
Of all Public Housing households, 17 (20%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 62 (72%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the Dowagiac Housing Commission Public Housing program, the federal government covers the cost of, on average, $668 per month for each household, which equates to annual cost of $8,016.
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Dowagiac Housing Commission Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $320 per month or $3,840 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $25,280 per month, which is $303,360 per year.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $180 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 86 households living in Public Housing units, 55 (70%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 8 (10%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 16 (20%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 1% of Public Housing households are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
33% of Dowagiac Housing Commission Public Housing program households have a minority head of household who is Black, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander; or of Hispanic ethnicity.
Even if it looks difficult to get housing, apply anyway.
Some factors make it look like a longshot to get housing. Any waiting list opening is a legitimate chance to get housing, no mattter how long it takes.Michelle Eans says:
"I love Affordable Housing Online because it provides information you normally would not know about."