Seattle Housing Authority to re-open tenant-based voucher lottery

On Feb. 6, the Seattle Housing Authority will open the registration for housing choice vouchers, for the first time since the spring of 2015.

During the previous lottery process, only about 1 in 7 people who applied were able to gain a spot on the waiting list. About 19,000 people registered for 2,500 spots. This cycle, there will be 3,500 spots available.

Thomas Bailey, who hopes to gain a spot on the 3,500-person list, said people needing assistance have been waiting for this day.

“More than half of Seattle right now knows what’s fittin’ to happen Monday. They know already. The streets know. They know what’s fixin’ to happen,” Bailey said.

Bailey is raising his 8-year-old son on his own, and he wants him to maintain stable housing so he can continue in school.

“I don’t want him back-tracking, when he gets a lot older, and be like in the same position I’m in, taking care of him,” Bailey said.

The housing choice vouchers, otherwise known as Section 8 vouchers, are funded through federal dollars. A tenant who is eligible and makes the list will then have assistance from the Seattle Housing Authority, who pays the landlord directly. The tenant is then responsible for contributing about one third of his or her income toward rent.

This program relies on consistent funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"To be honest, this is money that we don't actually have, yet. It's projected, based on our funding, that we will be getting from HUD. So we don't have 3 years' worth of funding ahead," said Kerry Coughlin, the Seattle Housing Authority director of communications.

Coughlin said there has been no indication that funding availability will change. Still, staff members at SHA are carefully monitoring the appointment process for a new secretary of HUD, knowing that there is some uncertainty under the new administration.

She said it takes two to three years to process all the people on this wait list. When SHA reaches a certain person on the list, that tenant will be vetted for income eligibility.

A person must make below 50 percent of area median income in order to qualify for a voucher. Those making less than 30 percent area median income will be served first.

In 2017, a family of four in Seattle making $45,150 a year would be at 50 percent of area median income. A similar-sized family making $27,100 a year would be at 30 percent of area median income.

Once a family receives a voucher, it can be applied toward rent at any property where that family signs a lease. It is illegal in the city of Seattle for a landlord to discriminate based on source of income, like a housing choice voucher.

A recipient still must pay about 30 percent of his or her income toward rent, with the remainder of the rent being paid for by the Seattle Housing Authority, directly to the landlord.

The voucher amounts are limited by the size of the unit. For example, a studio apartment voucher would be capped at about $1,050. A two-bedroom apartment voucher would be capped at around $1,525.

Because the market rate for rents has increased drastically in Seattle, many voucher recipients have had a hard time finding housing, even with voucher assistance. Coughlin said sometimes the voucher amount, added to the recipient’s own contribution, do not add up to be enough to make rent.

SHA also provides services to help people find and maintain housing.

Chantress Campbell, a case manager for the Low Income Housing Institute, told KIRO 7 they frequently help their clients sign up for at least 30 wait lists at a time, for housing assistance in various jurisdictions.

“I stretch out all the way from Snohomish County to all of Seattle, Tacoma, Kent,” Campbell said.

The fastest Campbell has ever seen a family receive assistance is 14 months.

Cox Media Group