For the first time since 2008, the Chattanooga Housing Authority is opening its Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) waiting list in hopes of housing 200 new participants before the end of the year.
Also, for the first time in the agency’s history, CHA officials are utilizing a lottery system to determine which applicants will receive the housing vouchers.
“Our Housing Choice Voucher Program primarily serves working families who earn modest wages, as well as elderly and disabled individuals who must live on fixed incomes,” said CHA Executive Director Elizabeth F. McCright. “We have such a great demand for decent affordable housing in our community, and we’re just glad to be in a position where we can add to the available housing stock.”
Preliminary applications will be made available to the public on Thursday and will be accessible online at www.chahousing.org. The applications will also be located at all CHA public housing communities and the agency’s Central Office at 801 N. Holtzclaw Ave. (37404). Several of CHA’s partner agencies will also have applications.
Beginning next Monday at 8:30 a.m. and ending on Friday, Oct. 15, at noon, CHA officials will accept hand-delivered applications at its Holtzclaw facility. Applications mailed to the agency and postmarked on or before Oct. 15 will also be accepted. But, officials said applications may not be faxed or sent via email.
To help determine those who will receive the HCVP vouchers, Mrs. McCright said CHA will have a public random drawing of 200 tickets from the pool of applicants. The drawing will take place on Friday, Oct. 29, at 10 a.m. at the Holtzclaw Central Office. Applicants do not have to be present at the drawing.
“We’re expecting an influx of applications in a short amount of time,” Mrs. McCright said, “and we believe the lottery system will create a seamless process to accommodate everyone involved.”
Housing officials will publish a list of the selected ticket numbers on its website, and make them available at all CHA offices. Applicants may also call United Way’s 2-1-1 line to inquire if their names were selected in the lottery. “We realized it would be prudent for us to reach out to one of our partner agencies to field the high volume of calls we’re anticipating,” Mrs. McCright said. “We appreciate United Way’s generosity, and consider ourselves very fortunate to have so many partners assisting us throughout this process.”
After the lottery drawing, Mrs. McCright said CHA will contact the 200 selected applicants by mail within 30 days to begin the formal application and eligibility screening process. The HCVP waiting list will be created based on this information, she said.
“Only the tickets drawn in the lottery will create the waiting list,” Mrs. McCright said. “We’ll maintain the tickets that are not drawn under lock and key until we determine we need more applications for the waiting list.” Any tickets remaining on Dec. 31, 2011 will be destroyed and a new applicant pool created, she said.
Section 8 is a federal housing program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program provides housing assistance to renters with low to moderate incomes in the form of rental subsidies.
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Housing Choice Voucher Program
Waiting List Fact Sheet
Dates to Remember
Sept. 30 - Preliminary Applications Available
Oct. 4 at 8:30 a.m. - CHA accepting hand-delivered applications
Oct. 15 at Noon - Application Deadline (hand-delivered or post-marked by)
Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. - Public Lottery
Dec. 31, 2011 - Any lottery tickets remaining on this date will be destroyed and a new pool of
applicants will be created when needed
Preliminary Applications Available
Online at www.chahousing.org
At all CHA Public Housing Communities
At CHA’s Central Office – 801 N. Holtzclaw Ave., 37404
Metropolitan Ministries - 1112 McCallie Ave., 37404
Joe Johnson Mental Health Center, 420 Bell Ave., 37402
Mid-Cumberland Mountain Ministry, 16 1st St., Monteagle, TN 37356
Lottery Results Available
Online at www.chahousing.org
At all CHA Public Housing Communities
By calling United Way’s 2-1-1