"I just want to say thank you for all your help on giving me a place to live and for being so kind in all you do for me."
~Amy, Housing Choice Voucher Program resident

The Section 8 Wait List has been updated. There are two ways to check your status on the wait list:

1. On the HACA Web site: Choose How To Obtain Housing on the menu bar on the left side of the page, then choose Wait List. Click on the Download Section 8 Wait List link. You will need Acrobat Reader to view the wait list. It can be downloaded free at the bottom of the wait list page. Please make sure you are downloading the Section 8 Wait List and NOT the public housing wait list.

2. At the Main Administration Building: HACA's main office is located at 1124 South IH-35, Austin, TX 78704. An updated wait list is kept at the reception desk. You must show a photo ID to view the wait list.

Please note the wait list is update once a month.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly referred to as Section 8, is a federally funded program that helps subsidize low-income family's rent. Families pay approximately 30 to 40 percent of their monthly-adjusted gross income toward rent and the HCVP pays the remaining balance directly to the landlord. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds the program nationally while HACA administers the program locally. Unlike families in public housing where clients can only live in specific housing developments, HCVP allows families to select a unit of their choice in the private rental market. This is important because one of the main goals of HCVP is to help families become self-sufficient by integrating them into the surrounding community.

Over the past two years, HACA's HCVP office has more than doubled its number of available vouchers to over 5,000, which has enabled HACA to decrease the time applicants spend on the waiting list.

Through seminars, cold calls and visits, direct mailings, trade show presence, increased involvement in local real estate organizations, print ad campaigns and landlord appreciation meetings the Assisted Housing Department has increased the number of apartment complexes accepting HCVP vouchers.

Much of this success is due to a new program, the "One Unit Challenge," which encourages property owners to lease one unit under the voucher program. When property owners experience how easy the program is, they tend to increase the number of units offered to assisted families. This effort is particularly successful at diversifying the communities where the vouchers are accepted, thereby de-concentrating poverty. Over half the new properties acquired in the past year are designated as "non-impacted" by poverty.

Success in managing a rapidly growing program earned the HCVP department high marks from HUD's annual Section 8 Management Assessment Program inspection. HACA was rated a high performer, scoring 100 percent on this evaluation for the 2006/2007 Fiscal Year.

HACA is continually working to provide more housing choices to families with vouchers. Future plans include more efforts in landlord and tenant education, as well as continued pursuit of additional vouchers.

Check the Housing Choice Voucher Program Waiting List.