Analysis by Nathan Brunet
Last Updated: February, 23rd 2024
The Bienville Parish Housing Program Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. Applications were last accepted for two days only on February 18, 2020 and February 25, 2020. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.
Please note: The public notice for this waiting list states that this is for the, "Bienville Parish Housing Program," but it does not name the agency in charge of this program. Affordable Housing Online is unable to confirm if the Bienville Parish Housing Program is managed by the Bienville Parish Police Jury, but this is the only Public Housing Agency our team is aware of that serves Bienville Parish, LA.
To apply during the opening period, applications were accepted at the Bienville Parish Housing Program Section 8 Office.
Preferences have not yet been confirmed.
100 applicants were placed on the waiting list. It is not known how applicants were placed on the waiting list.
For more information, contact the Bienville Parish Housing Program.
Sources: This information was verified by the Louisiana Press Association website, as of February 17, 2020.
Bienville Parish, Louisiana has preferences for: Preferences Unconfirmed. Preferences are not required but Section 8 Voucher applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
Bienville Parish, Louisiana Section 8 Voucher Waiting List is managed by Bienville Parish Police Jury.
Bienville Parish Police Jury provides affordable housing for up to 81 low- and moderate-income households through its public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Bienville Parish, Louisiana.
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 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 apply in person, a paper form must be completed at a location set by the housing authority. This place may be a housing authority office, local government building, or another location that is helping with the waiting list opening.
If you are considering applying for a voucher, you may be interested to know who already has a voucher, 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 have a Section or project-based voucher issued by Bienville Parish Police Jury.
At the start of 2024, Bienville Parish Police Jury was managing 84 Section 8 vouchers. Of the total number of vouchers managed, there were 70 households with a voucher. This represents 83% of the total voucher allotment for Bienville Parish Police Jury.
According to HUD, there is a total of 156 people living in households with a Section 8 voucher issued by Bienville Parish Police Jury, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 70 households with a Section 8 voucher at the start of 2024 waited on average 10 months to receive their voucher. Of those voucher-holding households, 25 got their voucher in the last year. This represents 36 percent of voucher holders with vouchers issued by Bienville Parish Police Jury.
Though Section 8 voucher programs are over-subscribed across the nation with all programs having a waiting list, each month, each housing agency managing vouchers has vouchers that are not issued to renters. This can result from turnover in the program if someone with a voucher buys a home, sees an increase in their income, passes away, or otherwise discontinues the use of their voucher.
The time it takes to transfer voucher funding from one recipient to another can be many months. Managing the Section 8 waiting list, qualifying new voucher holders, and approving new homes or apartments takes time. In addition, in some areas, there is an extreme housing shortage or landlords may refuse to rent to persons using a Section 8 voucher to pay their rent. This results in longer than usual ramp-up times for new voucher holders.
The Bienville Parish Police Jury Section 8 HCV program that this waiting list covers had 83% of its vouchers utilized by households with 17% unutilized at the start of 2024. This means that 14 Section 8 vouchers out of a total of 84 were in processing at the time HUD reported the data.
Of the 70 Section 8 voucher-holding households with the Bienville Parish Police Jury, 55 have at least one child. There are 3 two-parent households in the Bienville Parish Police Jury voucher program, and 53 single-parent households. There were 55 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Bienville Parish Police Jury Section 8 Voucher holders is $13,836 The average annual income per person is $5,942 The average voucher holder earns 30% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 11 | 16% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 6 | 9% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 23 | 33% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 15 | 22% |
| $20,000+ | 13 | 19% |
Of all voucher holders, 34 (40%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 50 (60%) voucher-holding households derive the majority of their income from some other source (other than wage or welfare).
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program pays 70% of the cost of rent plus utilities for any household receiving the housing assistance.
For the Bienville Parish Police Jury Section 8 program, the federal government is providing, on average, $372 per month to each household, for an average annual cost of $4,464. The program as a whole is paying landlords $26,040 per month, for an annual economic benefit to landlords of $312,480
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the Section 8 tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Bienville Parish Police Jury Section 8 HCV programs, the average family expenditure is $308 per month or $3,696 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $21,560 per month, which is $258,720 per year.
The average total rent paid to Section 8 landlords is $680 per month which includes payment contributed by both tenant households and the federal government. This is a program-wide rent average across all bedroom size rentals.
The average cost of utilities for renters in this program is $85 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 84 households with a Section 8 voucher, 13 (18%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 33 (48%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 24 (34%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 22% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
99% of Bienville Parish Police Jury Section 8 HCV program households have a minority head of household who is Black, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander; or of Hispanic ethnicity.
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.Kara Qualls says:
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