Seattle Housing Authority to open Section 8 waiting list

Sign-up forms widely available starting May 15

SEATTLE, WA—April 7, 2006—On May 15, 2006, the Seattle Housing Authority will begin accepting names for a new waiting list for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). The waiting list will be created by means of a random lottery. Every eligible household that mails in a completed Lottery Sign-Up Form by the deadline, May 26, 2006, will be placed in a pool of names from which the waiting list of 4,000 households will be drawn at random.

The Lottery Sign-Up Form will be made available beginning on May 15, 2006, at the Seattle Housing Authority’s PorchLight offices (907 N.W. Ballard Way, Suite 200, Seattle, Washington 98107); at all branches of the Seattle Public Library; at City of Seattle Neighborhood Service Centers; and at Seattle Community Centers. Beginning on May 15, 2006, the Lottery Sign-Up Form will also be available at the Housing Authority’s central office (120 Sixth Ave. N.) and at SHA community management offices, and on the Seattle Housing Authority Web site, www.seattlehousing.org

The Lottery Sign-Up Form must be mailed to:
PorchLight
P.O. Box C-70708
Seattle WA 98107
The sign-up form must be postmarked no later than May 26, 2006.

By July 26, SHA will contact all households that mailed in a completed Lottery Sign-Up Form to let them know whether their household was selected at random to be on the list of 4,000 applicants, and, if so, what position on the list their household occupies.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) provides housing subsidies to low-income residents through distribution of vouchers. Participants identify rental housing on the open market, and pay 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities. The voucher provides the balance of the rent and utilities to the landlord.

Only one person per household may sign up for the lottery. Every person who signs up for the lottery must be at least 18 years of age. Public housing residents may sign up for the lottery.

Current information on the lottery will be posted to the SHA Web site beginning on May 15, 2006. A Waiting List Hot Line (206 239-1674) has been created to answer frequently asked questions about the waiting list.

For additional information on the Section 8 Waiting List, including frequently asked questions, please click here.