As early as this Thursday, if you applied for the Section 8 housing waiting list in New York City, you ought to hear back.
Following a lottery in June, the New York City Housing Authority randomly picked 200,000 homes to be added to the waiting list. Applications were being accepted for the first time in almost fifteen years.
Families will begin receiving updates regarding the progress of their applications via email and US mail on Thursday, according to NYCHA. After being added to the waiting list, those who qualified can create an online profile to check their progress and finish the remaining tasks.
“NYCHA will begin the work of issuing housing vouchers, providing much-needed relief to families searching for affordable housing,” Mayor Eric Adams stated on Thursday. “However, our work is far from over. Our administration will continue to use every possible tool, including advocating for the passage of ‘City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,’ to build and connect New Yorkers to the affordable housing our city’s residents need.”
For low-income families that qualify, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program provides financial assistance so they can rent in private markets. A number of variables, including family size, immigration status, income, and criminal background, affect eligibility.
NYCHA currently has 85,000 active Section 8 vouchers, making it the largest program in the nation. In June, for the first time since December 2009, applications for the waiting list opened for one week.
According to the organization, 638,224 applications were received in total, with 301,044 of those coming in during the first day.
How the Section 8 housing waiting list operates?
Families must wait to be authorized for a Housing Choice Voucher after being chosen for the waiting list.
They need to continue in contact or risk having their names removed from the list. They might be invited to amend their applications or participate in follow-up interviews.
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The size of the unit that a family can look for and the amount of time they have to find housing are determined by Housing Choice Vouchers. A family will typically pay rent equal to 30% to 40% of their adjusted monthly income, with NYCHA covering the remaining amount.
Holders of vouchers can use AffordableHousing.com or NYCHA’s web site to search for a property in all five boroughs. Units must be approved prior to move-in, and most vouchers have a 180-day expiration date.
