More than 18,000 Houstonians on the Housing Choice Voucher waitlist must re-register in the Houston Housing Authority’s new system between May 1 and June 2 or risk being dropped entirely.
The new requirement, prompted by an overhaul of the Housing Authority’s system, impacts 18,276 people, many of whom have waited years to access affordable housing assistance. The Housing Choice Voucher program, commonly known as Section 8, typically covers 60–70% of rent for very low-income households.
Starting May 1, all individuals on the waitlist must create an account in the HHA’s new Rent Café portal, confirm their contact information and click “Save My Spot” to maintain their position. Those who don’t respond may be removed permanently.
“If we don’t have your current information—your email, phone number or if you’ve moved—then we have no way of knowing how to contact you,” said Jamie Bryant, the newly appointed CEO of the Houston Housing Authority. “Sometimes folks put themselves on a waitlist eight years ago and now they have moved out of Houston, they’ve gotten a job and they no longer need the assistance, or they’ve already found housing.”
A Decade-Old Waitlist
HHA officials say the list, last opened in 2016, is over a decade old and requires a critical refresh.
“This list is 10 years old, and in those 10 years, there’s probably been quite a bit of movement of the applicants on the list,” said Kenneth Coles, HHA’s senior vice president of voucher operations. “If we can get 50% of the individuals responding, in my experience, that would be an excellent response.”
The agency delayed the original deadline—initially slated for late March—“to get the word out wider and give folks an opportunity to know what’s coming,” Coles said.
Outreach Efforts and Concerns
HHA is launching a media and community outreach campaign to notify applicants, in addition to sending emails and offering in-person assistance at its office at 2640 Fountain View Drive. Full instructions will be posted to the agency’s website on May 1.
Coles said there may be recourse for those who fail to respond.
“There are contingencies in place for individuals that are withdrawn from the list to have the opportunity to get back onto the list at the original location,” he noted, though such cases will be reviewed individually.
Despite the efforts, housing advocates are raising red flags.
“I think a month is too short of a time frame, since folks have to be notified,” said Taylor Laredo, a community navigator with Texas Housers, a housing justice and research nonprofit. “I have concerns over households that have limited internet access, limited technology access—people who might be on the waitlist who are housing unstable, doubled up or don’t have transportation to get help.”
A similar outreach effort in December 2023 saw only 2,300 responses—an outcome Coles called “concerning.” HHA has since hired a public relations firm to improve this cycle’s turnout. “We expect a much better response this time,” he said.
Additional Opportunities: Project-Based Vouchers
Though the Housing Choice Voucher waitlist remains closed to new applicants, Project-Based Voucher waitlists for 11 sites will open May 1–16. These vouchers are tied to units at specific properties, unlike the tenant-based vouchers, which allow recipients to choose their housing.
According to Coles, wait times for project-based assistance are shorter, averaging 2 to 4 years, compared to 3 to 5 years for traditional vouchers. “Applicants have a better chance to get served sooner,” he said.
“There’s a high need and a high gap that currently exists when it comes to deeply affordable housing in Houston,” Laredo added. “So it’s good to see they’re making progress, but I hope they’re considering the most vulnerable residents in this process.”
The Bigger Picture
Today, roughly 19,000 households receive support through HHA’s Housing Choice Voucher program. However, expanding the program remains difficult due to rising rents and stagnant federal funding.
“The authority recently exited a year-long funding shortfall,” Coles said. “But without additional federal funding, we’re unlikely to do more than fill vacancies as households leave.”
“It’s hard to say now, especially with the talk in D.C. about changes to the program and funding cuts and things like that,” Coles added. “So we’re just hopeful that cooler heads will prevail in Washington, and we’ll get our appropriate funding, and be able to call in larger numbers from the waitlist.”
