Wait List Opening for Housing Choice Voucher Program
ATLANTA ( October 3, 2023) – The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) announced applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV) will be open from October 17, 2023, at midnight until October 20, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Formerly known as Section 8, this HUD-funded program assists low-income families and individuals to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing. This is the first time since 2021 that the HCV wait list has been opened to serve additional eligible applicants.
“Rent checks are often the first and largest payment families across Georgia make each month. As housing costs continue to rise at all income levels, the Housing Choice Voucher program is a critical tool to ensure thousands of Georgians all around the state can maintain safe and stable housing,” said Philip Gilman, DCA Deputy Commissioner for Housing Assistance and Development. “Now is a great time for potential landlords to reach out to DCA and learn more about how to benefit from the stable rent payments this program provides.”
The online preliminary application window will be available 24 hours each day of the open period, and DCA can extend the timeframe as necessary. Applicants are encouraged to have the following information available for all household members: names, dates of birth, social security numbers, annual income, and assets.
Eligibility is determined by the total annual gross income and family size; and it is limited to US citizens and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status. The family’s income may not exceed 50 percent of the median income for the county or metropolitan area in which the family chooses to live.
A lottery system will be used to select those approved for funding assistance. An automated system will randomly select the pool of 5000 potential participants and randomize their order on the wait list after applying their preference selection. Once an applicant’s name is at the top of the wait list, DCA will contact the applicant to complete additional information and attend a briefing.
Approved applicants will receive assistance as long as it is needed, and they maintain compliance with program requirements. Applications can only be submitted while the wait list is open. For more information on the Housing Choice Voucher program please visit www.dca.ga.gov, https://www.waitlistcheck.com/GA3236, or email dcawaitlist@dca.ga.gov.
