Analysis by Lorena Bentley
Last Updated: May, 16th 2024
The Washington County Housing Authority (WCHA) is accepting Public Housing waiting list applications from the earliest confirmed open date of November 28, 2024, until further notice.
This waiting list has the following preferences:
Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received, by order of preferences.
There are two ways to apply while the waitlist is open,
For more information, visit the WCHA website.
Sources: This information was verified by the WCHA website on May 16, 2024.
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The application may be completed online at https://www.wchapa.org/pre-application.
The application may be printed out from https://www.wchapa.org/_files/ugd/a65d8c_3dbfd18aca7f495ebe8bb88c441c35d7.pdf.
Washington County Housing Authority has preferences for: Displaced by Natural Disaster, Victims of Domestic Violence, Live, Work, or Attend School Locally, Job Training or Higher Education, Displaced by Government Action. Preferences are not required but Public Housing applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
Washington County Housing Authority Public Housing Waiting List is managed by Washington County Housing Authority.
Washington County Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 1,901 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Washington 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 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 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.
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 Washington County Housing Authority.
At the start of 2024, Washington County Housing Authority was managing 879 Public Housing units. Of the total number of units managed, there were 844 units occupied. This represents 96% of the total number of Public Housing units managed by Washington County Housing Authority.
According to HUD, there is a total of 1,455 people living in Public Housing units managed by Washington County Housing Authority, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 844 households living in Public Housing units at the start of 2024 waited on average 39 months before being able to move in. Of those households, 110 occupied their unit in the last year. This represents 13 percent of Public Housing tenants in units managed by Washington County Housing Authority.
The Washington 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 844 Public Housing households in units managed by Washington County Housing Authority, 255 have at least one child. There are 35 two-parent households in the Washington County Housing Authority Public Housing units, and 220 single-parent households. There were 229 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Washington County Housing Authority Public Housing tenant households is $16,976 The average annual income per person is $9,859 The average Public Housing household annual income is 22% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 93 | 11% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 42 | 5% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 380 | 45% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 118 | 14% |
| $20,000+ | 228 | 27% |
Of all Public Housing households, 202 (23%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 18 (2%) households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 642 (73%) households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
For the Washington County Housing Authority Public Housing program, the federal government covers the cost of, on average, $659 per month for each household, which equates to annual cost of $7,908.
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Washington County Housing Authority Public Housing program, the average family expenditure is $369 per month or $4,428 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $311,436 per month, which is $3,737,232 per year.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $63 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 879 households living in Public Housing units, 439 (52%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 236 (28%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 169 (20%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 16% of Public Housing households are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
27% of Washington 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.
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 25 | 3% |
| 25-50/td> | 321 | 38% |
| 51-61 | 211 | 25% |
| 62-84 | 253 | 30% |
| 85 or Older | 25 | 3% |
Applying for housing with bad credit.
Most HUD housing programs, like Section 8 and Public Housing, do not have a credit check. But Section 8 landlords will likely require one for an available unit.Marla Senter says:
"Affordable Housing Online is the most cohesive and correct information on housing out there online or off."