Application for Phoenix housing vouchers to open

Starting on Sept. 12, people will have a chance to join Phoenix’s waitlist for housing vouchers for the first time since 2016.

The Phoenix Housing Department will open the pre-application process for their Housing Choice Voucher waitlist on Sept. 12 at 8 a.m. It will close on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.

All complete pre-applications received will be added to the waitlist.

Applications are accepted in person and online. Officials said the application asks for general household information and takes roughly 10 minutes to complete. More information about the process can be found on the city’s website — https://www.phoenix.gov/ housing — or by calling 602-534-3030.

The federal housing voucher program, formerly known as Section 8, provides financial assistance to people who can’t afford housing.

Typically, voucher recipients pay 30% of their income toward rent and utilities, and the voucher covers the remainder.

The number of units leased to voucher holders through Phoenix’s program is smaller in comparison to similarly sized cities, such as Philadelphia or San Antonio. As of May, Phoenix’s voucher program had 6,300 units leased to voucher holders. Philadelphia had more than 19,000, and San

Antonio had more than 10,000.

The last time the pre-application process was opened, the city received around 27,000 applicants, said Housing Manager Elenia Sotelo. Currently, there are fewer than 2,300 people left on the waitlist. Sotelo said the department expects a large turnout during the pre-application window.

“We know the continued need has increased,” Sotelo said.

Sotelo recommends anyone who may be interested in a voucher submit a pre-application, as personal circumstances can change while applicants are on the waitlist.

“We don’t want folks to potentially exclude themselves from applying during this initial process,” Sotelo said.

Placement on the waitlist is not first-come, first-served, according to a Phoenix news release.

All pre-applications are randomized after the application window closes.

Once someone is selected from the waitlist, they are vetted to see if they meet the requirements.

Sotelo said the Housing Department will begin working through the applications starting this fall.

Helen Rummel covers housing insecurity and homelessness for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@ gannett.com.

Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.