Staying on the Lists

It is very easy to get removed from a Section 8 or other waiting list accidentally. And it may take years before you find out your family member was removed. Someone who is removed from a list may be able to appeal it, but may not be successful. In that case, the applicant will need to start all over again. Obviously, it is very important to try to stay on the lists to begin with! (Please note that nothing on this website is intended as legal advice, there is no guarantee the information provided is accurate, and using the information provided does not guarantee one will receive a housing voucher. For a complete legal disclaimer, please click here.)

• Notify lists of any change of address (or other critical information)
• Surviving the purge of the Centralized Waiting List
• Check your family member’s status regularly

Notify lists of any change of address (or other critical information)

The most common reason people are dropped from a list is failure to notify the waiting list of a change of address. In the case of the Section 8 regional non-profit waiting lists, 1/3 of applications are dropped due to unreported address changes.

If your family member’s mailing address changes and you do not report the address change, you will not receive the notification in the mail when your family member reaches the top of the list. Additionally, every spring people who have not updated their applications within two years are sent a postcard asking if they wish to remain on the Section 8 Centralized Waiting List. If you have not notified the Section 8 Centralized Waiting List of any change of address, you will not receive the postcard and your family member may be purged.

Even if your family member is not dropped from a list, failure to report a change of physical address may result in missing out on a voucher. Many housing authorities give preference to people who live in that community. A person who lives in that community will receive a voucher sooner than someone has been on the list longer, but doesn’t live in the community. If your family member has moved, and you do not report that change, your family member may lose out on a voucher if the housing authority in their new community thinks they live elsewhere.

In addition, it is important to report other information changes. Most frequently this is a change in email or phone number. However, a change in “family composition” must also be reported. For instance, if the applicant were to be married, that would require notification of the waiting lists.

To report a change of address or other information to the Section 8 Centralized Waiting List online, update your application.

To report a change of address to the Section 8 Centralized Waiting List by mail (less preferable), print out a change of address form, complete it, and mail it to the participating housing authority closest to you. If you need to change any additional information, it is better to update the application online.

To report a change of address or other information to a Section 8 regional non-profit list, please write a letter to the regional non-profit (listed on page 2 of the application to which your family member applied. Always specify you are writing about the “DHCD Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program”. If you are writing as your family member’s guardian, be sure to enclose a copy of your letter of guardianship.

To report a change of address or other information to any other Section 8 waiting list to which your family member applied, please write a letter. Make sure you specify you are writing in regard to your family member’s application for the “Section 8 Housing Voucher Program”. If you are writing as your family member’s guardian, be sure to enclose a copy of your letter of guardianship.

To change an address on site-based state housing waiting lists, log into the CHAMP application.

For the Alternative Housing Voucher Program, as of September 2020 you need to write a letter to your local housing authority. Make sure you specify you are writing in regard to your family member’s application for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program. If you are writing as your family member’s guardian, be sure to enclose a copy of your letter of guardianship.

Inform all other waiting lists of address changes by writing a letter. Always make sure you specify what waiting list you are writing about. If you are writing as your family member’s guardian, be sure to enclose a copy of your letter of guardianship.

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Surviving the purge of the Centralized Waiting List

Every spring a letter is sent out to anyone who has not updated or accessed their application online in the past two years, asking if the applicant wishes to remain on the list. If no response is received by a certain date (usually about 3-4 weeks later), the applicant is removed from the list. Fortunately, you can check to see when the letter was sent. It is a good idea to check this website every spring (about March 1st), as the letter is usually sent out in the spring.

• If the letter has been sent, and the deadline has not yet arrived, you can confirm your family member wishes to remain on the list by updating their status.
• If the letter has not yet been sent out, check the website every week to make sure you see when the letter is sent.
• If the letter has been sent, and the deadline has passed, check the status of your family member’s application to make sure their application is still active. If your family member has been removed from the list, fill out and mail a Request to Reinstate Application.

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Check your family member’s status regularly

Checking your family member’s status on all waiting lists once a year — and you should really log in to the Centralized Waiting List every 3 months — will help prevent nasty surprises, or minimize the time lost if you have to start over again. No housing authority or regional non-profit will tell you where your family member is on the list; they will only tell you if your family member is still on it or not.

The easiest way to check your family member’s status on the Centralized Waiting List is by accessing their application online. Doing this regularly will also reduce any chance of being purged from the list. If you wish to check your family member’s status by mail (less preferred), fill out a Request for Status of Application and mail it to the nearest participating housing authority.

To check your family member’s status on a regional non-profit list, send a letter to the regional non-profit (listed on page 2 of the application) to which your family member applied. If you are writing as your family member’s guardian, be sure to enclose a copy of your letter of guardianship.

To check your status on any other Section 8 list to which your family member applied, please write a letter. Make sure you specify you are writing in regard to your family member’s application for the “Section 8 Housing Voucher Program”. If you are writing as your family member’s guardian, be sure to enclose a copy of your letter of guardianship.

To check your status on site-based state housing waiting lists, log into the CHAMP application.

For the Alternative Housing Voucher Program, as of September 2020 you need to write a letter to your local housing authority. Make sure you specify you are writing in regard to your family member’s application for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program. If you are writing as your family member’s guardian, be sure to enclose a copy of your letter of guardianship.

Many site-based waiting lists will send a form annually to ensure your family member wishes to remain on the list. Make sure you return it by the deadline. To ensure you get any such form, inform them of any change of address. Some other waiting lists (whether site-based or portable) may not send a form. In those cases, send a letter annually to confirm your family member’s status. Always make sure you specify what waiting list you are writing about. And again, inform waiting lists of any change of address.

In general, it is a good idea to keep track of all your family member’s applications using a spread sheet, including application dates and the dates of all contacts. A spread sheet is available in the document library.

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(Please note that nothing on this website is intended as legal advice, there is no guarantee the information provided is accurate, and using the information provided does not guarantee one will receive a housing voucher. For a complete legal disclaimer, please click here.)