Analysis by Richie Wright
Last Updated: February, 23rd 2024
As of July 2017, the Mobile County Housing Authority (MCHA) is currently accepting Public Housing waiting list pre-applications for families.
To apply, visit the MCHA office to pick up a pre-application, located at 16545 US Highway 45, Citronelle, AL 36522 during normal office hours.
Once the pre-application has been completed, it must be hand delivered to the address listed above during normal office hours.
Be sure to include these documents with the pre-application: Social Security Cards and birth certificates for all household members, proof of all income, and photo IDs for all adult household members. Head of household must be aged 21 or older (or emancipated), or aged 19 and married.
The MCHA does not have a preference.
Qualified applicants will be placed on the waiting list by the date and time the pre-application is received.
For more information, visit the MCHA website, or call the office at (251) 866-9696.
Let's Discuss Mobile County Housing Authority Public Housing
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Mobile County Housing Authority Public Housing Waiting List is managed by Mobile County Housing Authority.
Mobile County Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 145 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Mobile County, Illinois.
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 Mobile County Housing Authority.
At the start of 2024, Mobile County Housing Authority was managing 50 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 48 units occupied. This represents 96% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by Mobile County Housing Authority.
According to HUD, there is a total of 181 people living in Public Housing units managed by Mobile County Housing Authority, with the average number of people per household being 4.
The 48 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 13 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 2 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 4 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by Mobile County Housing Authority.
The Mobile County Housing Authority Public Housing program that this waiting list covers had 96% of its units occupied by households with 4% unoccupied at the start of 2024.
Of the 48 Public Housing households in units managed by Mobile County Housing Authority, 43 have at least one child. There are 1 two-parent households in the Mobile County Housing Authority Public Housing units, and 42 single-parent households. There were 43 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Mobile County Housing Authority Public Housing tenant households is $22,804 The average annual income per person is $5,921 The average Public Housing household annual income is 35% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 2 | 4% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 5 | 11% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 8 | 17% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 9 | 19% |
| $20,000+ | 24 | 49% |
Of all Public Housing households, 31 (62%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 19 (38%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the Mobile County Housing Authority Public Housing program, the federal government covers the cost of, on average, $396 per month for each household, which equates to annual cost of $4,752.
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Mobile County Housing Authority Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $454 per month or $5,448 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $21,792 per month, which is $261,504 per year.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $207 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.
70% of Mobile County 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.
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.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!"