TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Two weeks from Tuesday the Section 8 waitlist is finally opening for pre-applications. It's been several years since it last opened, and this time, it will not close again.
Still, people are worried about how long it will take to get their vouchers.
Earlier today I met with Destiny Jones at Reid Park because she’s temporarily living in a hotel with her three daughters.
She told me about the personal and financial battles she’s facing that keep her from getting her own place.
“Once you make over a certain level, you don't qualify for food stamps or those things that help you, then you stay at that medium level,” said Jones. And the rise in rent has also made it hard. “Like even if you get approved for an apartment, the price for the first month’s rent and the deposit is astronomical right now.”
Destiny applied the last time the waitlist was open.
“I didn’t make it to the top of the list, I believe it was like three years. And then I got a phone call, but at the time I was living in Dallas,” she said.
This time the waitlist is different and will not close again.
When the application for the waitlist opens on Jan. 3 at 8 a.m., people will have until Jan. 24 to fill out a basic initial application.
The City of Tucson will treat this as a lottery, where about 400 people will be chosen at random to be added to the waitlist. Anyone added should wait for a phone call to talk about qualifications and get the process started to receive a voucher.
The lottery will be reopened every month as long as there are vouchers available.
“We have approximately 5000 to 5200 vouchers at any given time, and like I said sometimes we have people that leave the program or people that move to different communities, so sometimes we have more vouchers available than other times,” said Terry Galligan, the Deputy Director Housing and the Community Development City of Tucson.
When I told Destiny how the waitlist would work, she was surprised.
“I feel like single-parenthood families should probably be prioritized in that situation,” she said.
Chances of making the waitlist will not be affected by when you sign up during January, but hearing back to receive a voucher will depend on which month you get selected for the waitlist.
For more information on signing up, visit the city's website: https://housing-waitlist-cotgis.hub.arcgis.com/.
RELATED: City of Tucson: Beware of housing scams ahead of waitlist
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
