Waitlist for housing voucher in Santa Rosa includes nearly 3,000 households. Here’s what to know as lottery opens

Individuals in need of local affordable housing can apply to join the Santa Rosa Housing Authority’s waitlist for Section 8 housing vouchers starting next month. The waitlist, however, currently includes almost 3,000 households, officials said.

Heads of households or single applicants over the age of 18 can submit an application, beginning June 1, to be entered into a lottery through the housing authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program. Under Section 8, eligible participants receive a housing voucher that subsidizes a portion of their monthly rent within Santa Rosa city limits.

“We open the application for a month to make sure that everybody has really good access,” said Rebecca Lane, manager of the housing authority’s rental assistance division. “It’s also important for people to understand that (the day you apply) doesn’t give you any advantage because everybody who applies in June will be placed into the same hat from which we draw names.”

Lotteries for placement on the voucher waitlist typically happen every other year, with the most recent held in fall 2021.

The number of applications drawn from the lottery depend on various factors, including the amount of government funding available and the number of applications received.

“We’re getting a lot of calls already and we’re excited because that means the word is getting out there,” Lane said. “We’re happy to make sure everybody knows about this opportunity.”

Lane also warned potential applicants of scams that claim to help people advance on the waitlist. The city will not ask applicants for banking or financial information, and the city doesn’t work with third-party companies or websites when it comes to applications.

“(Applicants) should only be working with links that we’ve sent out,” Lane said. “If somehow (an applicant) ends up somewhere else and (the application) asks you for a credit card or any kind of banking information, that is a huge red flag and (the applicant) should stop that application immediately.”

Applications will be available at srcity.org/waitlist.

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