Housing Choice Voucher waiting list lottery to open June 23: 'Be prepared to apply'

MILWAUKEE -- The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee will open the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waiting list lottery at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23. Qualified persons will be able to submit applications for the waiting list lottery until 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 25.

Applications and eligibility guidelines can be found at waitlist.hacm.org.

“The Housing Choice Voucher program is a great opportunity for residents who need housing support, and this is particularly timely given the amount of people who have been financially impacted because of COVID-19,” said Alderman Rainey. “I urge residents to review the qualifications and be prepared to apply for the wait list lottery during the June 23 to June 25 window.”

According to a press release, after the wait list pre-application closes on June 25 at 6 p.m., a random lottery will be held to select the 3,000 households that will be added to the Housing Choice Voucher wait list. The 3,000 number was chosen to allow qualified applicants a reasonable expectation that they will be offered a Housing Choice Voucher within 2-3 years. Selected households will be notified after July 31, 2020 with information on next steps.

Applicants will be selected through the random lottery and there is no advantage to submitting a registration on the first day.  All households will have the same chance of being selected through the lottery regardless of when they apply during the registration period.