Analysis by David Layfield
Last Updated: September, 17th 2024
This waiting list is for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental housing assistance in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
The Franklin County Housing Authority (FCHA) will waiting list is now closed. It was last open on September 17, 2024. Initially, the waiting list was only scheduled to remain open until 200 applications had been received. On the evening of September 16, 2024 the PHA posted on its website that the 200 application limit had been reached but it was keeping the waiting list open until 4:30 PM on September 17. Prior to that, the waiting list was last open in June of 2023.
Affordable Housing Online Founder Dave Layfield said "The Franklin County Housing Authority waiting list opening in Franklin County, Pennsylvania will likely only be open for one day given the housing authority is only accepting 200 applications. I would recommend any one wishing to apply have their application and ALL required documents ready to submit prior to the waiting list opening on September 16. The PHA has stated that any application that is not complete will be rejected. To insure you get on the waiting list, pay close attention to the application form and its required documents."
There were four ways to apply during the opening period:
Once the paper application were completed, it must have been either:
The maximum income limits for each household size are as follows:
Preferences for the September 2024 waiting list opening were not confirmed but when the waiting list last opened in 2023, it had the following preferences:
It is not yet known how selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list.
For more information, visit the FCHA website.
Sources: This information was verified by the FCHA notice on August 16, 2024.
Franklin County, Pennsylvania 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.
Franklin County, Pennsylvania Section 8 Voucher Waiting List is managed by Franklin County Housing Authority.
Franklin County Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 699 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Franklin 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 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 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 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.
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.
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 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 Franklin County Housing Authority.
At the start of 2024, Franklin County Housing Authority was managing 391 Section 8 vouchers. Of the total number of vouchers managed, there were 328 households with a voucher. This represents 84% of the total voucher allotment for Franklin County Housing Authority.
According to HUD, there is a total of 604 people living in households with a Section 8 voucher issued by Franklin County Housing Authority, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 328 households with a Section 8 voucher at the start of 2024 waited on average 23 months to receive their voucher. Of those voucher-holding households, 62 got their voucher in the last year. This represents 19 percent of voucher holders with vouchers issued by Franklin County Housing Authority.
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 Franklin County Housing Authority Section 8 HCV program that this waiting list covers had 84% of its vouchers utilized by households with 16% unutilized at the start of 2024. This means that 63 Section 8 vouchers out of a total of 391 were in processing at the time HUD reported the data.
Of the 328 Section 8 voucher-holding households with the Franklin County Housing Authority, 78 have at least one child. There are 8 two-parent households in the Franklin County Housing Authority voucher program, and 70 single-parent households. There were 70 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Franklin County Housing Authority Section 8 Voucher holders is $15,589 The average annual income per person is $9,833 The average voucher holder earns 24% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 10 | 3% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 10 | 3% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 158 | 48% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 66 | 20% |
| $20,000+ | 82 | 25% |
Of all voucher holders, 39 (10%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 4 (1%) voucher-holding households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 332 (85%) 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 Franklin County Housing Authority Section 8 program, the federal government is providing, on average, $547 per month to each household, for an average annual cost of $6,564. The program as a whole is paying landlords $179,416 per month, for an annual economic benefit to landlords of $2,152,992
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the Section 8 tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Franklin County Housing Authority Section 8 HCV programs, the average family expenditure is $390 per month or $4,680 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $127,920 per month, which is $1,535,040 per year.
The average total rent paid to Section 8 landlords is $937 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 $98 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 391 households with a Section 8 voucher, 148 (45%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 115 (35%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 66 (20%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 31% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
33% of Franklin County Housing Authority Section 8 HCV 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 | 3 | 1% |
| Black Non-Hispanic | 72 | 22% |
| Native American/Alaskan | 3 | 1% |
| White Non-Hispanic | 220 | 67% |
| Black Hispanic | 3 | 1% |
| White Hispanic | 26 | 8% |
| Other Hispanic | 3 | 1% |
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 3 | 1% |
| 25-50/td> | 95 | 29% |
| 51-61 | 82 | 25% |
| 62-84 | 135 | 41% |
| 85 or Older | 10 | 3% |
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