Placer County to Accept Applications for Rent-Assistance Waiting List

Published on October 06, 2014

Placer County will accept applications this month from very-low-income households who want to be placed on the waiting list for a federally funded rent-subsidy program.

The Placer County Housing Authority will open the application process at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 15 and close it at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 24.

“Households must turn in their applications between October 15 and 24, but don’t need to rush to get them in, because the waiting list will not be based on the order in which applications are received,” explained Placer County Human Services Director Cheryl S Davis.

After October 24, the Housing Authority will use a computer-generated random lottery to select 500 applicants for the waiting list. Households selected through the lottery will work with the Housing Authority to complete the application and verification process. Applications not selected in the lottery will be considered inactive.

Applications must be filled out online after the application process opens on October 15 by clicking this link: Application.

After November 1, 2014 households will be able to see if their applications were selected in the lottery by clicking this link: Selected Applications.

The Housing Authority administers the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which formerly was known as the Section 8 Voucher Program. Funded by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, the program provides monthly rent subsidies to families, seniors, veterans, the disabled and other residents with low or very low incomes so they can afford decent, safe and sanitary housing in the private market. It is not an emergency housing assistance program.

“This is the first time since 2006 we have been able to reach the end of our old waiting list and accept applications for a new one,” Davis explained. “The need for assistance is much greater than the funding available for the program, so the waiting list has included as many as 2,000 households in the past.”

By placing only 500 households on the new waiting list, the Housing Authority expects to reopen the application process again within two years.

To qualify for the program, applicants must meet income guidelines based on the size of their households. For example, the maximum income allowed for two-person households is $27,500 and for four-person households is $34,350.

The Housing Authority will give preference to the elderly, disabled residents and low-income families when determining the order of households on the waiting list.

The Housing Authority also operates a housing program focused on assisting veterans. HUD-Veteran’s Affairs Supportive Housing offers rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program along with case management and clinical services provided by the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs for homeless veterans.

From October 15-24, the Placer County Housing Authority’s online links will be open 24 hours per day to accept applications. Online application forms are available in both English and Spanish.

Applicants may use any computers with Internet access and may have others apply for them if they need computer help. Computers at Human Services offices, local libraries and many community organizations are available to fill out online applications.

Paper copies of application forms will not be accepted.

Any individual with a disability who cannot access a computer and does not have someone to help fill out an online application may request assistance from the Housing Authority. Written requests must be received by the Housing Authority no later than noon on October 24, 2014. The mailing address is 11552 B Avenue, Auburn, CA 95603.

There is no charge for applying, and the Housing Authority is advising applicants to only use its links to apply. Officials emphasized that unauthorized sites sometimes pop up, claim to be sites that process Housing Authority applications and charge applicants fees. The sites sometimes route applications to the Housing Authority, but also have been known to use personal information submitted by applicants fraudulently.

The Housing Authority’s outreach efforts include a mass mailing to all participants in programs offered by the county Human Services Division. Fliers in English and Spanish are posted at many locations throughout the county.

The county program covers all of Placer County except for the City of Roseville, which has its own Housing Authority. For more information about the city program, click this link: Application.

For more information about the Placer County program, contact the Housing Authority at 530-889-7676 or via Email.