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New opportunities for Section 8 rental assistance plummeted by one-third in 2020.

Historically, getting on a waiting list for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program can be a challenge.

And when the COVID-19 pandemic began, the impacts made it even harder to access Section 8 vouchers nationwide. But the pandemic also motivated the adoption of more fair and inclusive policies that made it easier to apply for a voucher.

Affordable Housing Online analyzed Section 8 waiting list openings from 2016-2020. The data paints a picture of what renters face when applying for housing assistance, and how the pandemic affected their access.

KEY FACTS:

Renters were more likely to face barriers accessing Section 8 waiting lists in rural communities than in urban areas.
Scheduled waiting list openings plummeted in the first two months of the pandemic, and remained low for most of the remaining months.
The use of online applications to apply for Section 8 rose by 21% from 2019-2020.
Although the number of scheduled waiting list openings fell in 2020, they were open more than double the average number of days as in 2019.

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For any questions, please contact the authors at s8report@affordablehousingonline.com