Analysis by Lorena Bentley
Last Updated: April, 29th 2024
The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel (HACL) is accepting Public Housing waiting list applications for Beacon Homes, Brown circle Homes, Arco Lane Homes and Windsor Court Apartments from the earliest confirmed open date of April 29, 2024, until further notice.
This waiting list is for the following properties:
This waiting list has the following preferences: Head of household must be legally and continuously employed with 20 or more hours per week AND have qualifying income or; Must meet the definition of Elder or Disabled family as defined by HUD AND have qualifying income
It is not known how applicants will be placed on the waiting list, by order of preferences.
To apply while the waitlist is open, complete the online application.
For more information, visit the HACL website.
Sources: This information was verified by the HACL application page on April 29, 2024.
The application may be completed online at https://apps.laurelha.net/apply/ApplIntro.aspx.
Beacon Homes, Brown Circle Homes, Arco Lane Homes and Windsor Court Apartments Public Housing Waiting List is managed by The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel.
The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel provides affordable housing for up to 494 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher programs.
This housing agency serves Laurel, Massachusetts.
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 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.
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 The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel.
At the start of 2024, The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel was managing 569 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 467 units occupied. This represents 82% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel.
According to HUD, there is a total of 739 people living in Public Housing units managed by The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 467 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 21 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 75 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 16 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel.
The The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel Public Housing program that this waiting list covers had 82% of its units occupied by households with 18% unoccupied at the start of 2024.
Of the 467 Public Housing households in units managed by The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel, 250 have at least one child. There are 6 two-parent households in the The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel Public Housing units, and 245 single-parent households. There were 233 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel Public Housing tenant households is $14,975 The average annual income per person is $7,437 The average Public Housing household annual income is 31% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 47 | 10% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 75 | 16% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 187 | 40% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 65 | 14% |
| $20,000+ | 93 | 20% |
Of all Public Housing households, 222 (39%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 347 (61%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel Public Housing program, the federal government covers the cost of, on average, $848 per month for each household, which equates to annual cost of $10,176.
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $305 per month or $3,660 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $142,435 per month, which is $1,709,220 per year.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $100 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 569 households living in Public Housing units, 173 (37%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 145 (31%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 149 (32%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 18% of Public Housing households are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
96% of The Housing Authority of the City of Laurel 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 | 19 | 4% |
| 25-50/td> | 205 | 44% |
| 51-61 | 93 | 20% |
| 62-84 | 145 | 31% |
| 85 or Older | 5 | 1% |
Prepare to pay a fee to apply for units that accept Section 8 vouchers.
While there is no charge for Section 8 applications, a private landlord may charge a fee to apply for an available unit.Gina Pocan says:
"Thank you, Affordable Housing Online, for being there for some of the most vulnerable people."