<p> The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program provides rental assistance to millions of low-income households across the United States. Because there is more need for the program than resources available, the Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) that administer this program maintain waiting lists of applicants. Many only open their waiting lists periodically because they have so many households already waiting, and it usually takes years to reach the top of the waiting list. </p>
Applicants for the <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/Illinois/Chicago-Housing-Authority/IL002">Chicago Housing Authority's (CHA)</a> wait list opening could apply for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Public Housing and Section 8 Project-Based Voucher wait lists on one online application. We confirmed with the CHA that applicants participated in a lottery to fill 50,000 Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher wait list slots, 30,000 Public Housing wait list slots and 16,000 Section 8 Project-Based Voucher wait list slots. The waiting list was open for nearly an entire month, from October until November 2014.
Administering just under 100,000 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, the <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/New-York/New-York-City-Housing-Authority/NY005">New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)</a> is the largest Public Housing Agency in the United States. A NYCHA representative confirmed with us that although the wait list last opened in 2007, there are still more than 146,000 households on the waiting list as of November 2017. It is unlikely this waiting list will reopen any time soon.
The <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/New-Jersey/State-of-New-Jersey-Department-of-Community-Affairs/NJ912">New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA)</a>, which administers a statewide Section 8 HCV program serving all counties in the state, opened their wait list for five days in June 2016. Applications were available online, and 10,101 households were placed on the Section 8 HCV waiting list by random lottery. There was a preference for applicants who lived in the county of which they were applying for assistance.
It was estimated by the <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/California/Housing-Authority-of-the-City-of-Los-Angeles/CA004">Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA)</a> that it would receive a pool of 600,000 applicants for this opening, which was based off of the number of income eligible persons living within the city limits. Still, the total number of persons who submitted the online applicaion during the two-week opening period in October 2017 ranks it as one of the largest Section 8 HCV openings. Applicants who were veterans or lived, worked, or were hired to work in Los Angeles were given a preference, and they were placed on the waiting list by random lottery.
30,000 applicants were placed on the waiting list by lottery, and the <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/Georgia/Atlanta-Housing-Authority/GA006">Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA)</a> had a preference for persons who lived, worked, or were hired to work in Atlanta. Open for one week in March 2017, the application was available online.
Also called Baltimore Housing, the <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/Maryland/Housing-Authority-of-Baltimore-City/MD002">Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC)</a> administers more than 19,000 vouchers in the City of Baltimore, MD. This waiting list was open for a very long time compared to other housing authorities that operate in similarly large cities. Applicants had from December 2015 until May 2016 to apply.
A representative with the <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia-Housing-Authority/PA002">Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA)</a> said that the office is still pulling names from this 2010 wait list opening. After ongoing voucher issuances and purges, there are still 13,500 households on the waiting list as of 2017. Instead of most wait list openings in largely populated areas that operate a lottery, applicants were placed on this waiting list by the date and time the application was received. It was open for two weeks in May 2010.
Serving Cuyahoga County, including Cleveland (but excluding Chagrin Falls Township), the <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/Ohio/Cuyahoga-Metropolitan-Housing-Authority/OH003">Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA)</a> administers 15,386 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. We confirmed that the CMHA selected 10,000 households for the Section 8 HCV waiting list by random lottery. After the opening, which took place for five days in August 2015, it was estimated that the wait time to receive a voucher would be three-to-five years.
Confirmed by a <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/California/Housing-Authority-of-the-County-of-Alameda/CA067">Housing Authority of the County of Alameda (HACA)</a> representative, 5,000 applicants were placed on the Section 8 waiting list by random lottery. This housing authority serves Alameda County, with the exception of Alameda, Berkely, Livermore, and Oakland. The application was available online, and was avaialble to applicants for one week in August 2015.
The <a href="https://affordablehousingonline.com/housing-authority/California/Fresno-Housing-Authority/CA006">Fresno Housing Authority (FHA)</a> serves both the City of Fresno, and the surrounding county. We confirmed the FHA received about 18,700 applications for the city Section 8 HCV wait list, and 17,200 applications for the county wait list. Applications were available online, and there were preferences for persons who were elderly, disabled, a veteran, and lived or worked in the City or County of Fresno. Applicants had two weeks to submit an application.
<p> Affordable Housing Online contacted the largest Section 8 HCV administrators in the country to compile this list of the Top Ten Section 8 Wait List Openings, which highlights the demand for affordable rental housing nationwide. We looked at PHAs that administer more than 6,500 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, and scheduled an opening for a limited period of time since 2007. Waiting lists that were open for an indefinite time frame are not included. </p>
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.Lela Mima says:
"I love that this website lets you know where Section 8 will be open, and you have choices to pick where to apply. Thank you Affordable Housing Online!"