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Friday is deadline for Section 8 waiting list

by: MIKE AVERILL World Staff Writer
Thursday, November 12, 2009
11/12/2009 3:49:08 AM

The Tulsa Housing Authority will close its waiting list for the Section 8 voucher program on Friday, according to officials.

Applications will be accepted through Friday.

There are 7,107 families on the Section 8 waiting list, and the program is at capacity with 4,554 vouchers issued.

"We're closing the waiting list because we believe it's socially irresponsible to give people false hope, because the wait is now more than two years," said Chea Redditt, president and CEO of the Tulsa Housing Authority.

The oldest application on the list is from December 2007, said Terri Cole, vice president of assisted housing.

The bad economy has caused an upswing in the number of applications, Redditt said.

Section 8 housing allows low-income households to choose privately owned rental housing with the housing authority paying a portion of the rent.

"We have seen an exponential growth in applications on a weekly basis. A few months ago we had under 5,000. Now we have more than 7,000 in a matter of months," Redditt said.

A year ago there were 3,192 applicants on the waiting list.

"Once we have the funding available to provide homes for families through the Section 8 program, then we'll look at reopening the waiting list. Right now, we simply don't have the funding," she said.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds the Section 8 program, is funding the Tulsa Housing Authority's program at only 90 percent.

The waiting list has been closed before — in 2004. It was reopened in 2006. At that time there were 9,000 people on the list.

Redditt said the housing authority's public housing waiting list will remain open.

That program is based on number of needed bedrooms, so the wait might not be long for some families.

"Most of our stock is in three-bedrooms. There are very few one-bedrooms unless you're elderly or disabled. If you're non-elderly or disabled the wait could be a year," Redditt said. "We have many three-bedrooms units available. We could get them housed in a couple of weeks."

There are 2,200 public housing units and that program is leased at 99 percent.

Redditt added that THA offers no emergency housing of any kind.

HUD requires the housing authority to keep a waiting list and make selections based on application date and bedroom size available, she said.

Applications for the Section 8 program are available at the Tulsa Housing Authority office, 415 E. Independence St., and must be filed by 4:30 p.m. Friday.

For more information on the housing authority, go online to tulsaworld.com/tha.

Who qualifies for Section 8

Household size —Income limits

1 — $20,150
2 — $23,050
3 — $25,900
4 — $28,800
5 — $31,100
6 — $33,400
7 — $35,700
8 — $38,000

Source: Tulsa Housing Authority

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