On October 23, low-income renters will have the rare opportunity to join the waitlist for Section 8 vouchers in San Francisco. Section 8 is the federal housing assistance program that subsidizes rent for private housing.
The waitlist in question is for “housing choice” vouchers — a Section 8 program that puts the voucher in the hands of the renter, who can use it to apply for housing on the rental market.
Aisling Peterson supervises the housing and resource navigation program at Openhouse, a non-profit that provides housing and resources for LGBTQ seniors in San Francisco. Their staff will be helping seniors apply to join the waitlist next week.
“Even just having an option where you know you can make something more affordable, and you have a choice of where you want to move — you can pick the neighborhood you want to be in, you can be close to the schools that you want your kids to go to or close to the senior community that you need — it’s huge. That flexibility is priceless.”
Each voucher will pay about $2,700 for a studio, $3,300 for a one-bedroom and nearly $4,000 for a two-bedroom apartment. Voucher holders can expect to contribute up to 40 percent of their income towards rent.
To qualify for the program, you must earn 50 percent or less of the area median income — that is, $65,000-a-year for a single-person household, or about $93,000 for a four-person household. If a household is already receiving other forms of rental assistance, income must be less than 80 percent of area median income.
You do not have to live in San Francisco to qualify for the waitlist — though the vouchers must be used for housing in San Francisco.
The application will be available online. It takes 10 to 20 minutes to complete, and requires a full name, date of birth and Social Security Number — if available — for all household members. It also requires a valid email address and phone number.
The San Francisco Housing Authority will use a lottery system to offer 6,500 applicants a spot on the waitlist. Those who make the waitlist will be notified within 30 days of November 6, when applications close.
However, joining the waitlist is no guarantee of housing. It is notoriously difficult to obtain a Section 8 voucher — once on the waitlist, it can take years to actually obtain a voucher. Additionally, many voucher-holders report being discriminated against by landlords. While it is illegal for landlords to reject prospective tenants based on their Section 8 status, phrases like “No Section 8” or “No voucher holders” are common on rental listings.
A number of San Francisco-based housing assistance programs are offering assistance with applying to join the waitlist. A list of those organizations can be found at the bottom of this page.
