Analysis by Nathan Brunet
Last Updated: February, 23rd 2024
The New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently open indefinitely.
Please note: This waiting list has preferences. This means that applicants who qualify for these preferences will receive assistance before applicants who do not. Because of these preferences, applicants who do not qualify may have a longer wait to receive assistance.
To apply, download and print the application online. The application is available in English and Spanish.
Disabled applicants who require reasonable accommodation to complete the application can refer to the "Notice of Right to Reasonable Accommodation" section on page 2 of the application.
Once the application has been completed, it must be mailed to PO Box 5087, Manchester, NH 03108.
This waiting list has the following preferences: Household member has a terminal illness; household member is eligible for services through the Choices for Independence Program; rent burdened; at risk of becoming homeless; referred for a Trasitional Housing voucher from Newstart, FIT, or The Way Home; referred for a DHHS transitional voucher from an institution; referred for ACCESS Transition program from a nursing home, assisted living, residential care, community residence, or congregate housing. Further explanation of each preference can be found on the application.
Selected applicants will be placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received, by order of preferences.Applicants will receive a confirmation letter stating their approximate wait time. If you do not receive this letter within two weeks, call 1 (800) 439-7247, Ext. 9266.
As of August 2016, the approximate wait time is 6-8 years.Important note: Applicants who have been placed on the waiting list must inform the housing authority immediately if your application information changes (such as contact information, income, and household members). In the case that the office sends a notice that does not get returned, or if application information is out of date, your name may be terminated from the waiting list. Contact the housing authority to find out how to update application information.For more information, visit the NHHFA website, or call the office at (603) 472-8623.
The application may be mailed to http://www.nhhfa.org/assets/pdf/rentapp.pdf.
New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority has preferences for: Rent Burdened. Preferences are not required but Section 8 Voucher applicants that meet these criteria will be moved up the waiting list.
New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority Section 8 Voucher Waiting List is managed by New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency.
New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency provides affordable housing for up to 3,763 low- and moderate-income households through its public housing programs.
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.
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 New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency.
At the start of 2024, New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency was managing 4,235 Section 8 vouchers. Of the total number of vouchers managed, there were 3,812 households with a voucher. This represents 90% of the total voucher allotment for New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency.
According to HUD, there is a total of 7,868 people living in households with a Section 8 voucher issued by New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 3,812 households with a Section 8 voucher at the start of 2024 waited on average 32 months to receive their voucher. Of those voucher-holding households, 381 got their voucher in the last year. This represents 10 percent of voucher holders with vouchers issued by New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency.
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 New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency Section 8 HCV program that this waiting list covers had 90% of its vouchers utilized by households with 10% unutilized at the start of 2024. This means that 424 Section 8 vouchers out of a total of 4,235 were in processing at the time HUD reported the data.
Of the 3,812 Section 8 voucher-holding households with the New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency, 1,186 have at least one child. There are 169 two-parent households in the New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency voucher program, and 1,016 single-parent households. There were 1,016 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency Section 8 Voucher holders is $19,775 The average annual income per person is $10,868 The average voucher holder earns 22% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 76 | 2% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 114 | 3% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 1,334 | 35% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 686 | 18% |
| $20,000+ | 1,563 | 41% |
Of all voucher holders, 762 (18%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 85 (2%) voucher-holding households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 3,176 (75%) 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 New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency Section 8 program, the federal government is providing, on average, $1,187 per month to each household, for an average annual cost of $14,244. The program as a whole is paying landlords $4,524,844 per month, for an annual economic benefit to landlords of $54,298,128
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the Section 8 tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency Section 8 HCV programs, the average family expenditure is $513 per month or $6,156 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $1,955,556 per month, which is $23,466,672 per year.
The average total rent paid to Section 8 landlords is $1,700 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 $207 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 4,235 households with a Section 8 voucher, 1,525 (40%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 1,410 (37%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 877 (23%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 25% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
12% of New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency 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 | 38 | 1% |
| Black Non-Hispanic | 114 | 3% |
| Native American/Alaskan | 38 | 1% |
| White Non-Hispanic | 3,354 | 88% |
| Black Hispanic | 38 | 1% |
| White Hispanic | 229 | 6% |
| Other Hispanic | 0 | 0% |
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 76 | 2% |
| 25-50/td> | 1,525 | 40% |
| 51-61 | 953 | 25% |
| 62-84 | 1,182 | 31% |
| 85 or Older | 76 | 2% |
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