Exciting news for those in need of housing assistance in Seattle!

📣🏠💼 Attention Mystis Clients! 📣🏠💼

Exciting news for those in need of housing assistance in Seattle! The Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) has opened the application process for families and individuals to have a chance to receive a Housing Choice Voucher (formerly known as a Section 8 voucher). This voucher provides rental assistance for individuals with low incomes to rent from landlords throughout the Seattle rental market.

The application is now available online through SHA's official website at seattlehousing.org, and it is free to apply. Please be cautious of misleading websites that ask for payment to complete the application. To ensure you're on the correct site, type seattlehousing.org directly into your internet browser.

What's different about this new approach is that the opportunity to apply for a chance to receive a voucher is ongoing. In the past, registration was only open for a few weeks every few years, and a random drawing was conducted to create a waitlist for a set number of vouchers. Now, applicants on the list will be chosen at random when vouchers become available. The number of applicants selected in each drawing will vary depending on the number of vouchers available. This random selection process ensures that all applicants have an equal chance of being drawn at any time, regardless of when they apply.

Eligible applicants must be adults aged 18 or older (or emancipated minors) and can apply no matter where they currently live. However, if selected for a voucher, applicants will initially be required to use the voucher within the city of Seattle for a minimum of one year. It's important to note that applicants with a total household income greater than 50 percent of the Area Median Income are not eligible for a voucher.

SHA will review eligibility and verify income at the time applicants are selected from the list. Applicants who meet the voucher program eligibility requirements and program preferences will be served. Program preferences include applicants with a total household income of 30 percent or less of the Area Median Income at the time of selection or for the 12 months prior to selection, as well as applicants who are homeless at the time of selection or have been within the past 12 months. Applicants with a total household income between 31 and 50 percent will be returned to the list until all eligible applicants who meet the preferences have been served. Those with a total household income above 50 percent are not eligible for a voucher and will be removed from the list.

For more information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, please visit seattlehousing.org. If you need assistance applying online, prefer a paper application, wish to apply in person, require accommodation for a disability, or need translation or an interpreter, you can contact SHA's Housing Choice Voucher staff at 206.239.1674 or via email at voucherlist@seattlehousing.org.

Don't miss this opportunity to apply for a chance to receive a Housing Choice Voucher and secure housing assistance in Seattle. Good luck to all Mystis clients who apply! 🤞🏠💼