New York City authorities announced on Monday that more individuals may participate in the Big Apple’s rent subsidy lottery as the backlog for the NYCHA’s Section 8 Voucher Lottery is now up for entries for the first time in 15 years.
Applications for the waitlist will be accepted through Sunday, according to City Hall. Submitting a NYCHA application is free of charge (more info can be found here).
The final waitlist for Section 8 is anticipated to be formed by August 1, and waiting status will not be accessible prior to that date. A total of 200,000 applications will be randomly selected by lottery to join the waitlist.
NYCHA last let families to sign up for the voucher waiting list in 2009, according to Mayor Eric Adams. Lakesha Miller, the executive vice-president of leased housing for NYCHA, claimed the city has already received over 100,000 applications in only nine hours.
According to the New York State Senate, Section 8 is intended for low-income families that fit the following criteria:
- Head of household is 18 years of age or older (or declared an “emancipated minor”);
- At least one member of the family is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen with eligible immigration status; and
- The household’s gross income is 50 percent or below the area median income (AMI). You can view an income limit chart here.
