MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Housing Authority notified people that they were randomly selected to be placed on the housing voucher waiting list this week.
MHA said the people accepted were from the March 2022 pre-application waitlist. That was the first time the housing voucher waitlist reopened since 2017.
ABC24 spoke with MHA to ask common questions MHA gets about their housing voucher program.
How many people filled out the March application, and how many from that were selected on June 21, 2022, for the waitlist?
- 25,689 people successfully submitted pre-applications and 10,000 were added to the new waitlist.
If people weren't selected, can they apply again?
- Yes, if someone was not selected for the 2022 waitlist, they can apply for the waitlist again when it reopens.
For those who did get the letter saying they were approved for the waitlist, what are the next steps? When will they be notified that they got a voucher?
- Anyone who receives notification that they are on the waitlist should do two things: ensure they maintain access to the email account they used to create their HCV program portal and update their contact information within the portal if it changes. This is very important, as accurate contact information is needed to inform people when they are at the top of the waitlist and can receive a voucher.
Housing Choice Vouchers can only be extended and units can only be filled as they become available. The length of time it will take for a person to receive a voucher varies based upon their position on the waitlist and the market conditions.
How many people will be selected to get a voucher?
- Every applicant on the waitlist will be extended a voucher if they meet housing criteria at the time their name is at the top of the waitlist.
Many people are saying they have been on the waitlist since 2017. Some are even saying 2010. Why does it take long for people to be notified if they are getting a voucher or not?
- The Housing Choice Voucher Program vouchers can only be extended and units can only be filled as they become available. We are contacting the remaining people on the 2017 waitlist and will start to contact people at the top of the 2022 waitlist.
While we can’t speak to individual applicant circumstances, we can say that everyone who was on the 2010 or 2017 waitlist was contacted using the contact information the applicant provided at the time they submitted their waitlist application.