Anaheim is opening its waiting list for vouchers that provide help with apartment rents for those who fall into lower income brackets.
Commonly called Section 8 vouchers, they are funded by the federal Housing and Urban Development Department and are administered by the Anaheim Housing Authority. Anaheim is one of four housing agencies in the county that has a program offering these vouchers.
Currently, about 3,982 households are using vouchers from Anaheim to help with their housing, city spokeswoman Erin Ryan said.
The city will be receiving an additional allocation of 300 vouchers, but its waitlist had “reduced in size significantly” recently when officials reached out to people in line and learned they had found other housing options, moved out of the area or otherwise were no longer interested, Ryan said.
The city opened up the application period for its waitlist Monday and will close it on April 6. It expects to add about 10,000 to the list.
If more than 10,000 applications are received, those who qualify will be put in a random drawing for placement on the waitlist, putting them in line for vouchers as they come available, with Anaheim residents, those who work in town and veterans given preference.
Applicants need to have lived in Anaheim for more than a year to be considered a resident.
Those who later receive vouchers can use them elsewhere in the county if they have already lived in Anaheim for the previous 12 months or more; if not, they have to find a place in Anaheim to use the voucher and live there for at least one year before they could move to another OC city.
Housing experts have warned it can be hard for people who do get vouchers in California to find places willing to accept them. Vouchers typically expire after four months.
“We are just like any other city where people are having a hard time finding a place,” Ryan said. “We work very closely with everyone that receives a voucher to help them find housing.”
She said the city…
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