Analysis by Lorena Bentley
Last Updated: April, 9th 2024
The Raleigh Housing Authority (RHA) last accepted Public Housing waiting list applications from the earliest confirmed open date of May 1, 2022, until October 31, 2023. There is no notice when this waiting list will reopen.
To apply while the waitlist was open, applicants were required to: download and print the paper application.
Once the application was completed, it was to be either:
This waiting list had the following preferences: Elderly, disabled, Wake County resident, Ready To Rent Graduate, Working at least 35 hours per week for at least 24 months
Selected applicants were placed on the waiting list by date and time the application was received, by order of preferences.
For more information, visit the the RHA website.
Sources: This information was verified by the RHA notice on July 31, 2023.
Raleigh Housing Authority has preferences for: Elderly, Live, Work, or Attend School Locally, Working/Employed, Homeless, Disabled, Families with Children. Preferences are not required but Public Housing applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
Raleigh Housing Authority Public Housing Waiting List is managed by Raleigh Housing Authority.
Raleigh Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 5,411 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Wake County, North Carolina.
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 cannot apply for a waiting list that is closed until it is reopened by the housing authority. It is not known when the housing authority will announce the next opening.
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 Raleigh Housing Authority.
At the start of 2024, Raleigh Housing Authority was managing 1,242 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 1,192 units occupied. This represents 96% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by Raleigh Housing Authority.
According to HUD, there is a total of 2,398 people living in Public Housing units managed by Raleigh Housing Authority, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 1,192 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 31 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 107 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 9 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by Raleigh Housing Authority.
The Raleigh 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 1,192 Public Housing households in units managed by Raleigh Housing Authority, 484 have at least one child. There are 12 two-parent households in the Raleigh Housing Authority Public Housing units, and 472 single-parent households. There were 472 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Raleigh Housing Authority Public Housing tenant households is $22,026 The average annual income per person is $10,875 The average Public Housing household annual income is 25% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 60 | 5% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 48 | 4% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 405 | 34% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 155 | 13% |
| $20,000+ | 513 | 43% |
Of all Public Housing households, 484 (39%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 0 (0%) households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 658 (53%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the Raleigh Housing Authority Public Housing program, the federal government covers the cost of, on average, $652 per month for each household, which equates to annual cost of $7,824.
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Raleigh Housing Authority Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $501 per month or $6,012 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $597,192 per month, which is $7,166,304 per year.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $169 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 1,242 households living in Public Housing units, 572 (48%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 274 (23%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 346 (29%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 10% of Public Housing households are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
94% of Raleigh 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 | 12 | 1% |
| Black Non-Hispanic | 1,049 | 88% |
| Native American/Alaskan | 12 | 1% |
| White Non-Hispanic | 72 | 6% |
| Black Hispanic | 24 | 2% |
| White Hispanic | 36 | 3% |
| Other Hispanic | 0 | 0% |
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 12 | 1% |
| 25-50/td> | 525 | 44% |
| 51-61 | 191 | 16% |
| 62-84 | 441 | 37% |
| 85 or Older | 24 | 2% |
Looking for housing as soon as possible?
Applying for waiting lists with preferences that you qualify for may help shorten the wait for available housing.Ellie Ruedas says:
"Affordable Housing Online is the best way to keep informed on housing openings."