With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Up To 600,000 Expected To Apply For Section 8 When Applications Open This Month
(Photo by Sandy Gonzales via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
()
When applications to join the waitlist for the City of Los Angeles' Section 8 housing program open later this month, officials expect approximately 600,000 people will apply. Of those 600,000, only about 20,000 will be awarded spots on the voucher waiting list, according to the Los Angeles Times. The rest, for the most part, will be out of luck.
Those who win the lottery, and are awarded a place in line, can look forward to a potentially lengthy wait for housing. Los Angeles has approximately 57,000 Section 8 vouchers in use, and only about 2,400 become available each year.
Consider that the last time the city of Los Angeles opened applications for its Section 8 waitlist was in thirteen years ago, in 2004. The last time applications were open, more than 300,000 people mailed in a request for federal rental assistance vouchers. Housing authority officials expect that many of those who win a spot on the waitlist this year may have to wait up to a decade or more for voucher.
At the same time, there are other factors that could lengthen that wait time even further. Measure HHH, the $1.2 billion bond measure to build homeless housing, will divert about 1,000 Section 8 vouchers from Los Angeles' city housing program for homeless people selected for residency in public housing. Vouchers can also be siphoned off for other needs like, as the Times says, the redevelopment of the Jordan Downs housing project in Watts.
Support for LAist comes from
Applications for Section 8 within Los Angeles City will open at 6 a.m. on October 16. They are scheduled to close two weeks later, at 5 p.m. on October 29. On the county level, there is no anticipated date for future applications to join the waitlist.
Related: The Waiting List For Section 8 Vouchers In L.A. County Is 11 Years Long
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist