County housing voucher program opens wait list for first time in more than a decade – Orange County Register

For the first time in 12 years, the Orange County Housing Authority will be opening the wait list for its housing voucher program, accepting applications from Sept. 18 through Sept. 29.

The federally supported program assists very low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities in affording housing by covering part of the rent.

The county’s Housing Choice Voucher Program waiting list will adding thousands of new eligible households until it reaches 12,000 applicants. Application preference will be given to those living or working in OCHA’s jurisdiction, which includes all cities and unincorporated areas of Orange County except for the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana, which operate their own housing voucher programs.

“When I got on the board in 2021, there were about 40,000 people on the wait list,” Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley said. “It was people who were no longer with us for one reason or another. Maybe they had died or they had moved or they didn’t need housing anymore and they already had taken care of their needs. So the wait list just became this artificial number of people.”

After cleaning up the list for those who were still eligible, Foley said 83 people remained as of last week.

The timing when applications are submitted for the wait list during the upcoming window will not affect one’s position. Preference will also go to applicants in this order: veterans, the elderly, people with disabilities and families. Once applications are grouped into these categories, a lottery will be held within each category until 12,000 applicants are placed on the wait list.

Income limits for eligibility depend on the number of people in a household, for example $50,250 for an individual, $71,750 for four people and $94,750 for eight people.

The county receives funding for 750 vouchers annually. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded nearly $1.4 million to the county for its Housing Choice Voucher Program to support 75 additional vouchers.

The random selection will take place on Oct. 17. After that time, applicants can check their status by logging onto waitlistcheck.com. Notifications will be sent to applicants two to three months after all 12,000 applications have been reviewed.

This rental assistance is usable anywhere where a landlord is willing to accept the voucher.

“People are really struggling with the cost of living right now, especially people who are working in our hospitality and service industries. It’s so important that we are able to keep them housed and not have people falling out of housing,” Foley said. “We don’t want to leave them out in the cold. We obviously don’t have enough vouchers for everyone, but for those people who are the most in need, we’re going to make sure to take care of them.”

Applications can be submitted beginning at 8 a.m. on Sept. 18 and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 29 in one of three ways: Online at waitlistcheck.com/CA1288, mailed to P.O. Box 11387, Santa Ana, CA ,92711, or via email to OCHA.WaitingList2023@occr.ocgov.com. Paper applications are available at participating city halls, branches of the Orange County Public Library and other community organizations.

Several county supervisors are hosting assistance events for those who need extra help filling out applications. First District Supervisor Andrew Do is hosting an event on Sept. 18 at Mile Square Park, 16801 Euclid St., in Fountain Valley. Between 9 a.m. and noon staff from Abrazar Inc. and the Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center will help residents submit their applications electronically.

Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee is hosting an event from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sept. 21 at OC Workforce Solutions, 675 Placentia Ave. Suite 330, in Brea.

Foley’s team will be assisting with applications from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the Laguna Niguel One-Stop, 28202 Cabot Road, Suite 140.

Individuals with disabilities who require accommodation to participate in the application process may also contact OC Housing Authority at 714- 480-2798 during normal weekday business hours.