Analysis by Nathan Brunet
Last Updated: February, 23rd 2024
The McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (MCRHA) is currently accepting Public Housing waiting list applications for families and senior/disabled households.
There are two ways to apply:
This waiting list has the following preferences: McKean County resident for 6+ months, elderly, disabled, veteran, currently serving in the military, working 20+ hours per week, victim of domestic violence. There is also a special preference, known as a super preference, for applicants displaced by a natural disaster declared by their governor or the President of the United States. Those who qualify for the super preference are given immediate priority over any other applicants.
As of October 2017, this waiting list is 18 months long.
For more information, visit the MCRHA website, or call the office at (814) 887-5563.
McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority has preferences for: Elderly, Displaced by Natural Disaster, Victims of Domestic Violence, Live, Work, or Attend School Locally, Veterans, Working/Employed, Disabled, Active Military. Preferences are not required but Public Housing applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority Public Housing Waiting List is managed by McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 884 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves McKean County, 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.
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.
To request an application by phone, you must call a phone number and ask for the housing authority to send you an application. The housing authority will offer at least one way to get an application, usually by mail, email, or fax. The application must be completed and sent back to the housing authority according to their instructions.
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 McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
At the start of 2024, McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority was managing 344 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 327 units occupied. This represents 95% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
According to HUD, there is a total of 517 people living in Public Housing units managed by McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 327 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 9 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 65 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 20 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
The McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority Public Housing program that this waiting list covers had 95% of its units occupied by households with 5% unoccupied at the start of 2024.
Of the 327 Public Housing households in units managed by McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, 76 have at least one child. There are 10 two-parent households in the McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority Public Housing units, and 65 single-parent households. There were 65 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority Public Housing tenant households is $13,829 The average annual income per person is $8,667 The average Public Housing household annual income is 25% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 29 | 9% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 23 | 7% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 154 | 47% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 52 | 16% |
| $20,000+ | 69 | 21% |
Of all Public Housing households, 41 (12%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 7 (2%) households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 268 (78%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority Public Housing program, the federal government covers the cost of, on average, $623 per month for each household, which equates to annual cost of $7,476.
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the McKean County Redevelopment and Housing Authority Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $322 per month or $3,864 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $105,294 per month, which is $1,263,528 per year.
Of the 344 households living in Public Housing units, 229 (70%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 33 (10%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 62 (19%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 7% of Public Housing households are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
4% of McKean County Redevelopment and 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.
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 13 | 4% |
| 25-50/td> | 121 | 37% |
| 51-61 | 75 | 23% |
| 62-84 | 108 | 33% |
| 85 or Older | 13 | 4% |
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.Dawn Cournoyer says:
"Affordable Housing Online is a great resource! The site gives people a great place to search for housing list openings."