Sacramento agency extends deadline for housing vouchers. What you need to know

A Sacramento agency is extending the deadline to apply for subsidized housing vouchers, citing a lower-than-expected response to its first call for applications.

The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency originally set its deadline for Jan. 26, but only about 13,000 people have applied so far to be entered agency’s lottery for a spot on the wait list for the Housing Choice Voucher program, more commonly known by its former name Section 8.

That’s significantly fewer than the last time the agency opened the wait list in 2018, when 43,000 people applied to vie for one of 7,000 spots. Agency officials say the pandemic may be impacting the low interest in tenant-based vouchers, which are typically highly coveted.

Acknowledging the overall demand for affordable housing in Sacramento County and the need to continue doing outreach to ensure eligible residents have an opportunity to apply, agency is postponing the wait list application deadline until Feb. 9 at 11:59 p.m.

“We want to be mindful and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to apply for the waiting list, especially households that may be struggling during the pandemic and need extra time to complete the paperwork,” said Deputy Executive Director Sarah O’Daniel in a statement.

Only 5,000 applicants will be randomly picked and placed on the tenant-based voucher wait list. But even if a wait list applicant is processed and given a voucher, it’s no guarantee that they will find and secure an affordable home quickly.

Tenant-based vouchers cover part of the rent of a home in the private market. Recipients generally pay a landlord about 30% of their income toward rent and utilities, and the local housing agency covers the rest through federal funds.

Many will wait months before being able to use their voucher. At any given time, about 1,100 people have a voucher already in hand but aren’t using it, said agency spokeswoman Angela Jones in a statement.

Voucher holders struggle to find a landlord willing to accept it, or are getting beat on affordable homes in Sacramento’s increasingly cutthroat rental market.

Nearly 4,000 landlords currently house tenants using housing choice vouchers, Jones said, with 134 landlords signing up during the pandemic through an incentive program funded by a federal pandemic relief law.

Eligibility for tenant-based vouchers includes income limits: A person making less than $31,750, or a family of four making less than $45,300, for example, qualifies. Criminal background checks are conducted on all adults applying for housing.

People can apply for the wait list at www.sacwaitlist.com, and check back in after Feb. 14 to see if they’ve been placed on the list. Applying to SHRA’s wait lists is free.