Starting Monday, the city is opening the waitlist for NYCHA's Section 8 Voucher Lottery for the first time in 15 years -- allowing for more people to take a chance at the city's rent subsidy lottery, according to city officials.
The waitlist will be open for applications until Sunday, the city said.
Mayor Eric Adams said that last time NYCHA allowed families to join the waiting list for these vouchers was in 2009. The demand on the first day of waitlist sign-up has been high.
Lakesha Miller is in charge of the voucher program for NYCHA. As the executive vice-president of leased housing for NYCHA, Miller told News 4 New York said that in just nine hours, the city has already seen more than 100,000 people apply.
With the rent subsidy — low income families benefit the most. In one example, an $1,800 apartment can suddenly seem affordable.
"The family would pay $300. And then NYCHA would pay the remaining $1,500," Miller said.
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The available apartments can be anywhere in the city in any building and those who obtain the voucher will be chosen at random.
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There is no fee to submit a NYCHA application. The Section 8 waitlist is expected to be established by Aug.1. Waitlist status will not be available before that date, according to NYCHA.
According to NYCHA, you may be eligible to apply if your family's annual gross income does not exceed the income limits:
| Family Size | Income Limit |
| 1 | $54,350 |
| 2 | $62,150 |
| 3 | $69,900 |
| 4 | $77,650 |
| 5 | $83,850 |
| 6 | $90,050 |
| 7 | $96,300 |
| 8 | $102,500 |
Additionally, among other requirements, eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens and noncitizens who have eligible immigration status, and families in which all members are U.S. citizens or have eligible immigration status are eligible for housing assistance, according to NYCHA's website.
While the waitlist is now open, this will not have a direct impact on households currently on NYCHA’s Section 8 waitlist. NYCHA will continue to assign vouchers as they become available via the waitlist.
For more information on the waitlist, click here.
