Sonoma County’s affordable housing voucher waitlist opens next month. Here’s what to know

People in need of affordable housing in Sonoma County will be able to apply for assistance through the county beginning next month.

The county said 750 applicants will be randomly selected to be added to a waitlist for a Housing Choice Voucher, according to a news release. The application process opens Oct. 1.

Martha Cheever, director of the Sonoma County Housing Authority, said the waitlist has opened every two years since 2019 to ensure everyone who has applied is served within a two-year period.

“We do it completely blind so somebody who applies the first moment the waitlist opens has no difference of a chance than somebody who applies at the very last minute,” she said. “It gives everybody equal opportunity.”

The voucher program — formerly known as the Section 8 program — provides financial assistance to low-income individuals and families to help them afford housing in the private rental housing market.

The waitlist was last opened in October 2021, and 25 people are left on the list, Cheever said.

Households earning up to 50% of the area median income — or $44,050 for a one-person household — may apply.

Applications will be accepted through Oct. 31 online or at the Housing Authority’s office in Santa Rosa.

The Housing Authority also cautioned potential applicants of scams that include “fees-for-service” or ask for credit card numbers when applying.

“We don’t want anybody to be spending any money on the waitlist and if they need help, they can contact our office so we can help them with that,” Cheever said.

The county doesn’t work with a third-party company or organization when it comes to collecting applications.

“Just through the county is where people apply,” she said.

Applications will be available beginning Oct. 1 at waitlistcheck.com/CA085.

You can reach Staff Writer Sara Edwards at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat. com. On Twitter @sedwards380.