Time is running out for people who want to register for the Section 8 waiting list lottery.
The deadline is this Sunday at 5 p.m., however, winning this lottery does not guarantee housing.
Willie Scott, 39, is hoping luck is on his side as he registers for LA City’s section 8 waiting list lottery.
“Finding housing it’s a struggle. I don’t understand how people can afford to live in Los Angeles no more,” Scott said.
With rents at all time highs, many residents are in need of section 8 vouchers.
The federal rental assistance program helps very low income families pay for housing.
“Right now it is a landlords market so even with these vouchers that are available and they are committing to pay a certain amount of money, these landlords are picking and choosing who they want to take over others,” Andrew Melara said.
Melara is with the Coalition For Responsible Community Development.
The nonprofit is helping people with the application process around the city, including here at LA Trade Tech’s work source center.
He says up to 200,000 people are expected to apply, but only 30,000 will be chosen.
Scott says he’s been looking for an affordable apartment in a safe neighborhood for a long time.
“It’s a struggle because you got to make two and a half times the rent and now apartments out here are like $2,200 so you have to make 2.5 times the rent, that’s like $4500 plus all that,” Scott said.
For the fortunate ones who are selected by lottery, that simply puts them on a waiting list.
It can take anywhere from a few months to five years to go through the vetting process and then find a landlord willing to accept your section 8 voucher.
Here’s what you need to know to apply for the lottery program.
Who’s Eligible?
Applicants must fall into the federal “very low-income” category. For individual tenants, their annual income cannot be more than $41,700. The annual income threshold for a family of four is $59,550.
Vouchers are only available to U.S. citizens, immigrants with legal authorization or families with “mixed status” with at least one household member that has legal immigration status.
See here more eligibility requirements.
How do I apply?
Applicants should create an account through the online application portal.
The application is free. A valid email address is required to apply for the program.
Applications are only accepted online via smart phone, mobile device or computer with Internet access. No applications will be accepted in person, by mail or by email.
For those who need free Internet access and help setting up an email account, support is available at LA City public libraries and other community organizations. See here for the list of assistance centers.
Applications are accepted 24 hours a day during the two-week period.
What Are My Chances?
An application does not guarantee a voucher.
And the odds of getting a voucher are slim. When the city opened its Section 8 waiting list in 2017, more than 187,000 people submitted applications. Only 20,000 thousand of them received vouchers.
This year, the number of available vouchers has increased, but given the strain the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation have put on people’s finances, the city expects to receive more than 365,000 new applications.
But city officials encourage all eligible Angelenos to take a chance to get the help they need.
“This lottery doesn’t guarantee that you will receive a voucher or rental assistance, but it can get you one. And there’s a good chance in the future you will,” says LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Those who are lucky enough to be selected for the rent assistance program will have 180 days to secure a housing unit. After the 6-month period, an unused voucher will be returned to the lottery so it can be given to someone else on the waiting list.
Source: NBC Los Angeles