Analysis by Nathan Brunet
Last Updated: February, 23rd 2024
The Harrisburg Housing Authority (HHA) Family Public Housing waiting list is currently open, since at least August, 2018, until further notice. Waiting lists for a specific community or bedroom size may be closed.
Harrisburg, PA is about 100 miles east of Philadelphia, PA.
To apply, open and print the application forms online here. Select both the "Authorization for Release of Information Notice" and "Application for Admission" links.
Please note: As of July, 2019, the "Application for Admission" link is not active.
Once the application has been completed, it must be mailed or dropped off to the HHA Leasing Office, located at Governor’s Plaza, 2101 North Front Street, Building #3, Suite 101, Harrisburg, PA 17110.
This waiting list has the following preferences:
Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received, weighed by order of preferences.
For more information, visit the HHA Family Public Housing page, or the HHA website.
Let's Discuss Family Public Housing
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Family has preferences for: Elderly, Displaced by Natural Disaster, Victims of Domestic Violence, Live, Work, or Attend School Locally, Veterans, Working/Employed, Homeless, Displaced by Government Action, Disabled. Preferences are not required but Public Housing applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
Family Public Housing Waiting List is managed by Harrisburg Housing Authority.
Harrisburg Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 3,052 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
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.
This waiting list has at least one preference, so those who qualify will have a shorter wait than those who don't. After sorting preferences, applicants are placed on the waiting list by date and time the application was received by the housing authority. So applying soon after the waiting list opens will give you a shorter wait than those who wait to apply after you.
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 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 print out an application, a paper form must be printed from a device that is connected to the internet. This document is usually in the form of a .doc, docx, or .pdf. The application must be completed and sent back to the housing authority according to their instructions.
A waiting list sorted by date and time orders applicants who are selected for the waiting list by the date and time the housing authority receives the application. Those who apply earlier will generally be placed higher on the waiting list.
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 Harrisburg Housing Authority.
At the start of 2024, Harrisburg Housing Authority was managing 1,497 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 1,392 units occupied. This represents 93% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by Harrisburg Housing Authority.
According to HUD, there is a total of 3,173 people living in Public Housing units managed by Harrisburg Housing Authority, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 1,392 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 12 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 153 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 11 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by Harrisburg Housing Authority.
The Harrisburg Housing Authority Public Housing program that this waiting list covers had 93% of its units occupied by households with 7% unoccupied at the start of 2024.
Of the 1,392 Public Housing households in units managed by Harrisburg Housing Authority, 749 have at least one child. There are 45 two-parent households in the Harrisburg Housing Authority Public Housing units, and 704 single-parent households. There were 719 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Harrisburg Housing Authority Public Housing tenant households is $15,301 The average annual income per person is $6,597 The average Public Housing household annual income is 19% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 111 | 8% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 334 | 24% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 459 | 33% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 167 | 12% |
| $20,000+ | 306 | 22% |
Of all Public Housing households, 344 (23%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 90 (6%) households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 1,048 (70%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the Harrisburg Housing Authority Public Housing program, the federal government covers the cost of, on average, $1,116 per month for each household, which equates to annual cost of $13,392.
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Harrisburg Housing Authority Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $331 per month or $3,972 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $460,752 per month, which is $5,529,024 per year.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $130 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 1,497 households living in Public Housing units, 418 (30%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 599 (43%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 376 (27%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 15% of Public Housing households are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
94% of Harrisburg Housing Authority 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 | 14 | 1% |
| Black Non-Hispanic | 626 | 45% |
| Native American/Alaskan | 0 | 0% |
| White Non-Hispanic | 84 | 6% |
| Black Hispanic | 70 | 5% |
| White Hispanic | 585 | 42% |
| Other Hispanic | 14 | 1% |
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 70 | 5% |
| 25-50/td> | 724 | 52% |
| 51-61 | 167 | 12% |
| 62-84 | 418 | 30% |
| 85 or Older | 14 | 1% |
Do you have little or no income?
Be aware that some housing assistance programs have a minimum income requirement, such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credit aparments.Josie Shivers says:
"Affordable Housing Online is a very helpful website. I was able to put it in a Section 8 application, and received a letter that I was chosen to be on a waiting list!"