Housing Opportunity Waitlist Lottery Opening

The Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco (Authority) is opening its waitlist application process for the Section 8 Rental Assistance Demonstration/Project-Based Voucher (RAD/PBV) program. 

 

The Authority will open waitlist applications to the public on 05/28/2024 starting at 8:00 AM and close applications on 06/07/2024 at 5:00 PM.

 

*Applications are estimated to take at least 15-30 minutes to complete. A completed application requires the application to be submitted. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM on June 7, 2024. Applications not submitted by 5:00 PM will not be processed further.

 

Within 30 days of the waitlist application closing, the Authority will use a lottery to randomly draw 10,000 names from the list of applications submitted. Those names drawn will be placed on RAD/PBV waitlists. Applying for the lottery does NOT guarantee a place on a RAD/PBV waitlist.

 

The lottery slots will be allocated from by bedroom size for the following six waitlists.  If there are less applicants than lottery slots for a particular bedroom size, the random draw will include less than 10,000 names.

 

Waitlist Name

0 BR

1 BR

2 BR

3 BR

4 BR

5 BR

6 BR

Total

City Gardens

 

 

50

10

10

 

 

70

PBV 55+

25

45

 

 

 

 

 

70

PBV 62+

165

175

30

10

10

 

 

390

PBV No Restriction

2,805

660

480

275

25

10

 

4,255

RAD 62+ or Disabled

2,855

450

110

10

 

 

 

3,425

RAD No Restriction

105

345

855

390

75

10

10

1,790

Grand Total

5,955

1,675

1,525

695

120

20

10

10,000

 

Apply Online Only: https://sfha.myhousing.com 

Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Video Walk-Thru of Online Application: https://youtu.be/q_iJSGrpxiM 

 

Application Process

  1. Complete the online waitlist application using a computer or mobile device with Internet access at https://sfha.myhousing.com. Free access to computers and the Internet is available at your local San Francisco Public Library. Call 311 for locations of libraries and operating hours or visit https://sfpl.org/.

    • You will need: (1) A valid email address; (2) Phone number; and (3) The full name for all household members; (4) Date of Birth for all household members; and (5) Social Security number for all household members (if available).

  2. Save the confirmation number to acknowledge successful submission of the application. You can take a screenshot on your mobile device, print, e-mail, or write the number down with pen and paper.

 

Application Assistance

  • Community partners are also available to assist you with the application process. The full listing may be found at the bottom of this announcement.

  • Housing Authority’s Customer Care Center can be reached at (415)-715-5200 from 8:00 AM PT to 7:00 PM PT on weekdays and 8:00 AM PT to 12:00 PM PT on weekends during the application period. For applicants applying on the final day of the opening, please have all information ready and available and call as early as possible, preferably before 3:00 PM to ensure your application is completed by the 5:00 PM deadline.

    • If you are a person with a disability, reasonable accommodations can be provided to assist you with the application process. Please call the Housing Authority’s Customer Care Center to request a reasonable accommodation.

    • If you have challenges speaking, reading, or understanding English, language assistance can be provided to assist you with the application process. Please call the Housing Authority’s Customer Care Center to request language assistance.

    • If you have a hearing impairment, please use the TTY line at (415) 467-6754.

 

After Application Closes

  • A lottery will be used to randomly select 10,000 applicants. The names selected through the lottery will have waitlist preferences taken into consideration and be placed on the applicable waitlist(s). Applying for the lottery does NOT guarantee a place on the waiting list(s).

  • Applicants will be notified by email of their lottery status within 30 days of the waitlist closing. Applicants will also be notified when their name comes to the top of the waiting list, and if the applicant is unable to verify their waitlist preference, they will be returned to the waitlist without the preference.

  • If an applicant does not respond to the Authority’s notifications for an appointment or the appointment letter is returned undeliverable, the applicant will be removed from the waiting list. If the applicant has a change of address, phone number, income, or family size, they must notify the Authority in writing or through the Applicant Portal.

 

Eligibility and Income Requirements

To be determined as eligible for RAD/PBV assistance, applicant households must meet certain criteria. This information will be verified for applicants who were selected through the random lottery once their name comes to the top of the waiting list.

An applicant (and all members of the family, if applicable) must:

  • Qualify as an individual or family as defined by the Authority

  • Have a head of household that is at least 18 years of age at the time of this waitlist application or be a minor legally emancipated by a court of competent jurisdiction, consistent with California law

  • Have an annual income at the time of admission that does not exceed the established income limits

  • Pass a criminal background check

  • Provide documentation of social security numbers or certify that they do not have social security numbers at the time of initial eligibility interview

  • Meet HUD requirements on citizenship or immigration status. One member of the applicant family must be a U.S Citizen, U.S. National or Non-Citizen with eligible immigration status at the time the voucher is issued to be eligible for assistance

An applicant/applicant family must not:

  • Have ever been convicted of manufacturing or producing methamphetamine on the premises of any federally assisted housing 

  • Be subject to a lifetime registration requirement under a state sex offender registration program 

  • Owe rent or other amounts to the Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco (or any other public housing authority). Assistance will not be offered until the outstanding balance is paid in full.

The Authority does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, marital status, familial status, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, ancestry, or sexual orientation in the access to, admission into, or employment in housing programs or activities.

 

Income Requirements

Additionally, total household income must not exceed 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) unless the family is already receiving assistance from the Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco or a different Public Housing Authority.

2024 INCOME LIMITS (Effective 4/1/24)

Family Size

Extremely Low

30% of AMI

Very Low

50% of AMI

Low 

80% of AMI

1

$41,150

$68,550

$109,700

2

$47,000

$78,350

$125,350

3

$52,900

$88,150

$141,000

4

$58,750

$97,900

$156,650

5

$63,450

$105,750

$169,200

6

$68,150

$113,600

$181,750

 

Waitlist Preference

The Authority will give waitlist preferences as follows:

 

RAD

  • Veteran/Surviving Spouse of Veteran (+1) 

  • Families with a Right to Return (16 points) 

  • RAD Emergency Referral (15 points) 

  • Residents of Residential Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill (RCFCI)/ Transitional Residential Care Facilities (TRCF) (14 points) c

  • Mixed Families currently residing at non-RAD units at HOPE SF sites (13 points) 

  • Involuntarily Displaced with Residential Certificate of Preference (COP) (11 points) 

  • Department of Homeless and Supportive Housing Referral (HSH) (7 points) 

  • Families with minor children living in SROs with a referral from DBI (7 points) 

  • Involuntarily Displaced from San Francisco residence (5 points) 

     

PBV

  • Veteran/Surviving Spouse of Veteran (+1)

  • Involuntarily Displaced with Residential Certificate of Preference (COP) (11 points) 

  • Involuntarily Displaced from San Francisco Residence (5 points) 

 

City Gardens

  • Veteran/Surviving Spouse (+1)  

  • Families with minor children referred by the Authority to the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (DHSH) (15 points)

  • Families with minor children referred to the Authority by DHSH after matches between the Authority and DHSH is exhausted (13 points) 

     

In addition, the application includes suitability requirements for applicable buildings and units:

  • Do you qualify for "Transitional Aged Youth Housing?"  This includes young adults, ages 18-24 (and ages 25-27 for those currently experiencing homelessness), who are transitioning from public systems, like foster care, and are at risk of not making a successful transition to adulthood.

  • Are all household members 45+ years old?

  • Are all household members 55+ years old?

  • Are you a family with at least one child under 18 years old?

  • Do you qualify for Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)?

  • Are you experiencing homelessness?

  • Are you experiencing chronic homeless?

  • Are you a homeless veteran?

  • Do you have a documented disability?

  • Do you have a documented mental illness?

  • Do you have a documented mental health condition?

  • Do you have a documented mental health disability?

  • Do you have documented mental health special needs?

  • Did you apply and were you accepted into the California DAH/Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program?

 

For more information on the waitlist opening, please visit our waitlist page at www.sfha.org/housing-programs/waitlist

 

How to Apply

 

Before you begin the waitlist application process, please review the Eligibility and Income Requirements above to ensure your household is eligible. 

 

Once you are ready to apply, gather the names, social security numbers, and dates of birth of all family members. You will also need the gross annual income of all family members. Make sure you have access to a printer, e-mail, or have paper and pen ready to write down your confirmation number!

 

  1. Complete the online waitlist application using any device with internet access at 
    https://sfha.myhousing.com. 

    1. For anyone without internet access that would like to apply, there will be assistance available from the service providers listed at the bottom of this announcement. 

      Additionally, the San Francisco Public Library has free community computers that may be used to fill out this waitlist application! Call 311 for locations of libraries and operating hours or go to www.sfpl.org.

      Applicants who require assistance in completing an application, because of a disability or require translation services or communication in an alternate format, can call the SFHA Customer Care Center at (415) 715-5200 from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on weekends. For applicants with hearing impairments, please use the TTY line at (415) 467-6754. For applicants applying on the final day of the opening, please have all information ready and available and call as early as possible, preferably before 3:00 PM, to ensure your application is completed by the 5:00 PM deadline.

  2. Review all information to make sure you have entered the requested information correctly!

  3. Submit your application. 

  4. Print or save the online confirmation number. You can either print, e-mail, or write this number down with pen and paper.

 

 

Contact the Authority with any Questions

 

For questions, please contact SFHA Customer Care Center. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The call center is open 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on weekends and closes at 5:00 pm on Friday, June 7. 

  • Phone: (415) 715-5200 

  • E-mail: customercare@sfha.org

  • Address: 1815 Egbert Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM)

     

Maintaining Your Status on the Waiting List


Applicants randomly selected to be placed on a RAD/PBV waitlist will be notified by email or mail when their name comes to the top of that waiting list or if the Authority updates its files. If an applicant does not respond to the Authority’s notifications or the letter is returned undeliverable, the applicant will be removed from the waiting list. If the applicant has a change of address, phone number, income, or family size, they must notify the Authority within 10 business days of the change by letter or in person at 1815 Egbert Ave, San Francisco.

 

Disclaimers

 

Applications can be received from 05/28/2024 starting at 8:00 AM to 06/07/2024 ending at 5:00 PM. After 5:00 PM on 06/07/2024, the waitlist lottery opening will automatically close. Applicants will receive a confirmation number to acknowledge successful transmission of their application. If selected for the waitlist through the lottery process, applicants will be notified of their selection. 

 

The waitlist applicant is non-transferable and does not administer nor guarantee housing assistance.

 

 

Community Partners

The following community partners will be available to assist applicants in completing their online applications during the waitlist opening:

 

RAD / HOPE SF providers

 

 

Community Providers

 

 

Family Resource Centers

 

 

Housing Counseling Agencies

 

 

HIV Services Providers

 

 

Other Housing Authority Waitlists

 

While the Authority does not provide waitlist positions to applicants due to the ever-changing nature of the waitlist, we can confirm if applicants are active on the waitlist. Please refer to the Contact page to contact us regarding your status on the waitlist(s).

 

 

The Authority operates separate waiting lists for the following federal programs:

  • Housing Choice Voucher 

  • Project Based Voucher Buildings

  • Rental Assistance Demonstration Buildings

  • Public Housing

     

 

The Authority also administers housing programs that require the applicant to be referred by a supportive service agency. These include:

  • Emergency Housing Voucher Program 

  • Family Unification Program 

  • Foster Youth to Independence Initiative

  • Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing 

     

 

Please visit our home page at sfha.org or our leased housing page at https://sfha.org/housing-programs/housing-choice-voucher for more information.