NYC To Reopen Section 8 For First Time In 15 Years

By FrumNews.com 

Update 06/03: The NYCHA recently reopened section 8 applications. Click Here for the FrumNews.com guide on how to apply for Section 8. 

Original Article:

City Hall announced that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) will begin accepting new applicants for Section 8, formally known as the Housing Choice Voucher program. The move will reopen a waitlist that former New York City Mayor Bloomberg shut down nearly 15 years ago in 2009,

New York City Housing Authority administers the largest Section 8 program in the country, currently providing rental support to 241,117 New Yorkers to rent apartments in the private market. The NYCHA issued most of those vouchers in a role that is separate from its responsibilities as the nation’s largest public housing authority.

The waitlist has been closed to general applications since 2009. Families in the program are given a voucher when they search for a rental, which allows them to pay no more than 40% of their monthly income toward rent. NYCHA pays the rest of the rent on the family’s behalf for any apartment, building, condominium (condo) or home rental in New York City.

According to Mayor Eric Adams office, the New York City Housing Authority has worked to serve those on the waitlist since it last closed 15 years ago. Last year, NYCHA issued 7,538 vouchers for families to choose where they want to rent, and worked to reduce the eligible pool over time.

Households that receive a voucher will be able to search for housing within the neighborhood of their choice. As part of the program, qualifying households must have a gross income of 50 percent or below the area median income and generally pay 30 percent of their adjusted monthly income toward rent, with the subsidy in most cases covering the remaining portion.

Following the upcoming application period, a new waitlist is expected to be established by August 1, 2024. Once the application period has closed, 200,000 applications will be randomly selected by lottery to join the waitlist. Once the waitlist is established, applicants will be notified and can check their application status by logging into the NYCHA’s Self Service Portal.

“After 15 years, we are reopening the doors to hundreds of thousands of new Section 8 applicants and helping more New Yorkers find the housing they need,” Mayor Adams said. “Addressing our city’s housing crisis means using every tool our city has, and that’s exactly what we are doing, we are committed to helping every New Yorker find and stay in their home.