Analysis by Ayat Elkarib
Last Updated: November, 28th 2023
This waiting list is for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental housing assistance in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
The Washington County Housing Authority (WCHA) last accepted Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list applications from November 13, 2023, until November 15, 2023. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.
To apply while the waiting list was open, applicants were required to apply at the Washington Crown Center.
Preferences have not yet been confirmed.
Selected applicants were placed on the waiting list by date and time the application is received.
For more information, visit the WCHA website.
Sources: This information was verified by the WCHA public notice on November 28, 2023.
Washington County, Pennsylvania Section 8 Voucher 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 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.
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 Washington County Housing Authority.
At the start of 2024, Washington County Housing Authority was managing 1,008 Section 8 vouchers. Of the total number of vouchers managed, there were 766 households with a voucher. This represents 76% of the total voucher allotment for Washington County Housing Authority.
According to HUD, there is a total of 1,392 people living in households with a Section 8 voucher issued by Washington County Housing Authority, with the average number of people per household being 2.
The 766 households with a Section 8 voucher at the start of 2024 waited on average 19 months to receive their voucher. Of those voucher-holding households, 107 got their voucher in the last year. This represents 14 percent of voucher holders with vouchers issued by Washington 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 Washington County Housing Authority Section 8 HCV program that this waiting list covers had 76% of its vouchers utilized by households with 24% unutilized at the start of 2024. This means that 242 Section 8 vouchers out of a total of 1,008 were in processing at the time HUD reported the data.
Of the 766 Section 8 voucher-holding households with the Washington County Housing Authority, 292 have at least one child. There are 10 two-parent households in the Washington County Housing Authority voucher program, and 282 single-parent households. There were 282 households with children with a female head of household.
The average annual household income for Washington County Housing Authority Section 8 Voucher holders is $15,168 The average annual income per person is $8,510 The average voucher holder earns 20% of the local Area Median Income.
| Annual Income Range ($) | Number of Households | % of Vouchers |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | 61 | 8% |
| $5,000 - $9,999 | 46 | 6% |
| $10,000 - $14,999 | 314 | 41% |
| $15,000 - $19,999 | 123 | 16% |
| $20,000+ | 230 | 30% |
Of all voucher holders, 131 (13%) receive the majority of their income from wages and/or business. 10 (1%) voucher-holding households receive the majority of their income from welfare programs like TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance. 806 (80%) 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 Washington County Housing Authority Section 8 program, the federal government is providing, on average, $623 per month to each household, for an average annual cost of $7,476. The program as a whole is paying landlords $477,218 per month, for an annual economic benefit to landlords of $5,726,616
HUD refers to the portion of rent paid by the Section 8 tenant as the Total Tenant Payment, or Family Expenditure.
For the Washington County Housing Authority Section 8 HCV programs, the average family expenditure is $359 per month or $4,308 per year. The combined payment from all tenants in the program is $274,994 per month, which is $3,299,928 per year.
The average total rent paid to Section 8 landlords is $982 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 $211 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 1,008 households with a Section 8 voucher, 421 (55%) live in a studio or one-bedroom unit, 176 (23%) rent a 2-bedroom rental home and 169 (22%) have a 3-bedroom or larger rental. 12% of Housing Choice Voucher recipients are overhoused with more bedrooms than people in the household.
28% of Washington 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.
| Age Range of Head of Household | Number of Households | % of Households |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 | 15 | 2% |
| 25-50/td> | 260 | 34% |
| 51-61 | 146 | 19% |
| 62-84 | 291 | 38% |
| 85 or Older | 54 | 7% |
Only submit truthful information.
Submitting false information can disqualify the household from assistance, and may land the applicant in legal trouble.Cathy Watkins says:
"I’m just glad I could find Affordable Housing Online. If I can find a low-income rental, I can see retirement."