Analysis by Nathan Brunet
Last Updated: February, 23rd 2024
The North Iowa Regional Housing Authority (NIRHA) is currently accepting Elderly/Disabled Public Housing waiting list applications until further notice. Waiting lists for a specific community or bedroom size may be closed.
A list of all Public Housing communities can be found here.
There are two ways to apply:
Once the paper application has been completed, it can be mailed or hand delivered to the address above.
These documents are required when submitting the application: Copies of Social Security Cards of all household members, and photo IDs for all adult household members. If applying online, send these copies to the NIRHA as soon as possible. The application will not be considered complete until these documents are received.
This waiting list has the following preferences: Live, work or attend school full-time in Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, or Worth County; displaced by federally declared disaster.
Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received, by order of preferences.
Persons on the waiting list can update application information by notifying the NIRHA in writing to:
North Iowa Regional Housing Authority
202 1st St. SE, Ste. 203
Mason City, IA 50401
For more information, visit the NIRHA website, or call the office at (641) 423-0897.
North Iowa Regional Housing Authority has preferences for: Displaced by Natural Disaster, Live, Work, or Attend School Locally. Preferences are not required but Senior / Disabled Public Housing applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
North Iowa Regional Housing Authority Senior / Disabled Public Housing Waiting List is managed by North Iowa Regional Housing Authority.
North Iowa Regional Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 519 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Cerro Gordo County, Floyd County, Franklin County, Hancock County, Kossuth County, Mitchell County, Winnebago County, Worth County, Iowa. Service does not extend to Charles City, Service does not extend to Mason City, Service does not extend to Riceville, Iowa.
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 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.
To pick up an application, you must visit a location set by the housing authority to pick up a paper form. This place may be a housing authority office, local government building, or another location that is helping with the waiting list opening. 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 North Iowa Regional Housing Authority.
At the start of 2024, North Iowa Regional Housing Authority was managing 121 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 110 units occupied. This represents 91% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by North Iowa Regional Housing Authority.
According to HUD, there is a total of 228 people living in Public Housing units managed by North Iowa Regional Housing Authority, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 110 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 6 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 20 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 18 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by North Iowa Regional Housing Authority.
The North Iowa Regional Housing Authority Public Housing program that this waiting list covers had 91% of its units occupied by households with 9% unoccupied at the start of 2024.
Of the 110 Public Housing households in units managed by North Iowa Regional Housing Authority, 62 have at least one child. There are 6 two-parent households in the North Iowa Regional Housing Authority Public Housing units, and 56 single-parent households. There were 58 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for North Iowa Regional Housing Authority Public Housing tenant households is $19,756 The average annual income per person is $9,532 The average Public Housing household annual income is 30% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 10 | 9% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 18 | 16% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 25 | 23% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 14 | 13% |
| $20,000+ | 44 | 40% |
Of all Public Housing households, 42 (35%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 8 (7%) households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 62 (51%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the North Iowa Regional 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 North Iowa Regional Housing Authority Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $274 per month or $3,288 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $30,140 per month, which is $361,680 per year.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $248 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 121 households living in Public Housing units, 34 (31%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 52 (47%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 24 (22%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 10% of Public Housing households are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
24% of North Iowa Regional 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 | 6 | 5% |
| 25-50/td> | 62 | 56% |
| 51-61 | 14 | 13% |
| 62-84 | 23 | 21% |
| 85 or Older | 4 | 4% |
Housing options for persons with disabilities.
Many housing programs have apartments or properties restricted to residents with disabilities, including Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with DisabilitiesBishop Demetres Walker says:
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