King County Housing Authority (KCHA) will be accepting applications for its Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Rental Assistance Program waiting list Wednesday May 25. The deadline is Tuesday June 7.
This opportunity allows eligible applicants to qualify for a federal rental subsidy through the Housing Choice Voucher program, which can be used in the private market. Due to the limited number of vouchers, KCHA will place no more than 2,500 names on its waiting list.
Successful applicants will be selected through a random drawing that will be held after June 7. Applicants not placed on the list will be notified by the Authority following the drawing.
Rhonda Rosenberg, director of communications for KCHA, stated that applicants who apply early are not favored over those who apply later within the two week period. She also stated that it allows an applicant to be placed on the waiting list, but does not guarantee a spot on the list itself.
For information about the application process, call KCHA’s office at 206-214-1300. For those with computer access, the application form will be available to submit or print online at www.kcha.org.
All completed applications not submitted online must be returned by mail only and postmarked by June 7 to the following address: King County Housing Authority Section 8 P.O. Box 58500 Seattle, Wa 98138.
Applicants must meet certain requirements, such as households that are either homeless or on the verge of becoming homeless, families living in substandard housing or spending more than 50 percent of their income on rent and utilities.
Also known as Section 8, this program is the primary means of housing assistance for low-income people provided by KCHA.
The Section 8 Program provides rental assistance to more than 25,000 residents in King County. Applicants who receive a voucher are required to live in King County for their first year on the program.
KCHA serves residents of King County outside of the cities of Seattle and Renton.
The waiting list was last opened for two weeks in 2007, when KCHA received nearly 11,000 applications to the program. Because that list is nearly exhausted, it is looking to create a more current list of applicants.
The Section 8 Program pays rental housing subsidies, provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and managed by KCHA, to private landlords on behalf of low-income households. The subsidy allows program participants to find housing in the private rental market. HUD generally pays the difference between the rent charged by a housing owner and the assisted household’s rental contribution, usually 30 to 40 percent of the household’s income.
KCHA administers a range of quality affordable rental and homeownership programs in the Puget Sound region. The Authority serves more than 17,000 households on a daily basis.
Application forms for those without computer access can be picked up at the following locations.
- KCHA Section 8 Office 15455 65th Ave. South, Tukwila
- Auburn DSHS 810 28th St. Northeast, Auburn
- Eastside DSHS 14360 Southeast Eastgate Way, Bellevue
- Federal Way DSHS 616 South 348th St., Federal Way
- Kent DSHS 1313 West Meeker St. #100, Kent
- Kent Multi-Service Center 515 West Harrison St., Kent
- White Center DSHS 9650 15th Ave. Southwest, Seattle
- Mt. Si Senior Center 411 Main Ave. South, North Bend
- Northshore Family Center 18315 Bothell Way Northeast, Bothell
- Shoreline Family Center 17018 15th Ave. Northeast, Shoreline
- Spiritwood Apartments 1424 148th Ave. Southeast, Bellevue
- Kirkland Library 308 Kirkland Ave., Kirkland
