Analysis by David Layfield
Last Updated: August, 17th 2024
This waiting list is for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental housing assistance in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
The Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna (HACL) last accepted Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list applications from August 1, 2024, until August 16, 2024. There is no notice when this waiting list will reopen.
Preferences
This waiting list had the following preferences:
Selection Process
Selected applicants were placed on the waiting list by date and time the application was received, weighed by order of preferences.
Application Method
There were two ways to apply while the waitlist was open:
Once the paper application was completed, it was to be: mailed to the HACL.
For more information, visit the HACL website.
Sources: This information was verified by the HACL on July 23, 2024.
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Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania has preferences for: Elderly, Victims of Domestic Violence, Live, Work, or Attend School Locally, Veterans, Disabled. Preferences are not required but Section 8 Voucher applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Section 8 Voucher Waiting List is managed by Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna.
Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna provides affordable housing for up to 1,984 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs.
This housing agency serves Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. Service does not extend to Carbondale and Service does not extend to Scranton, 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.
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 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.
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 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 Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna.
At the start of 2024, Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna was managing 862 Section 8 vouchers. Of the total number of vouchers managed, there were 707 households with a voucher. This represents 82% of the total voucher allotment for Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna.
According to HUD, there is a total of 1,228 people living in households with a Section 8 voucher issued by Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 707 households with a Section 8 voucher at the start of 2024 waited on average 6 months to receive their voucher. Of those voucher-holding households, 113 got their voucher in the last year. This represents 16 percent of voucher holders with vouchers issued by Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna.
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 Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna Section 8 HCV program that this waiting list covers had 82% of its vouchers utilized by households with 18% unutilized at the start of 2024. This means that 155 Section 8 vouchers out of a total of 862 were in processing at the time HUD reported the data.
Of the 707 Section 8 voucher-holding households with the Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna, 241 have at least one child. There are 9 two-parent households in the Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna voucher program, and 233 single-parent households. There were 216 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna Section 8 Voucher holders is $18,610 The average annual income per person is $10,987 The average voucher holder earns 31% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 28 | 4% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 42 | 6% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 212 | 30% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 141 | 20% |
| $20,000+ | 276 | 39% |
Of all voucher holders, 190 (22%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 9 (1%) voucher-holding households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 655 (76%) 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 Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna Section 8 program, the federal government is providing, on average, $571 per month to each household, for an average annual cost of $6,852. The program as a whole is paying landlords $403,697 per month, for an annual economic benefit to landlords of $4,844,364
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the Section 8 tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna Section 8 HCV programs, the average family expenditure is $458 per month or $5,496 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $323,806 per month, which is $3,885,672 per year.
The average total rent paid to Section 8 landlords is $1,029 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 $202 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 862 households with a Section 8 voucher, 304 (43%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 240 (34%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 163 (23%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 27% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
21% of Housing Authority of the County of Lackawanna Section 8 HCV 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 | 14 | 2% |
| 25-50/td> | 240 | 34% |
| 51-61 | 113 | 16% |
| 62-84 | 304 | 43% |
| 85 or Older | 42 | 6% |
Check your waiting list status occasionally.
If you request it, housing agencies are required to confirm if you are still on a waiting list, and some may also state your current position.Celeste Law says:
"Affordable Housing Online is a great source of information, and is very helpful in answering questions about Section 8 and Public Housing."