Apply for Housing
Online Application
Click the button below to apply for housing online. Once you have submitted your online application, it will be sent to HHA’s office where it will be processed. It may take 2 to 3 weeks to process all of your application materials, so please be patient.
No matter how long it takes for HHA to process your application, don’t worry, you still have the same application date, and will be added to the wait list based on the date you turned in your application.
It is extremely helpful to open up the “Application Tutorial” while you are completing the application process. This way you can see step-by-step instructions on how to register for the applicant portal and apply for housing.
Submission Instructions
Once you have completed the application, it will need to be processed by HHA. Once the application is entered into our system and any possible preference points are applied, you will be added to the specific wait list for the unit size that your family is eligible for. You will then be sent an acknowledgement letter. This letter will state that we have received your application, and give you your approximate wait time for receiving a unit. The letter will also let you know if you need to provide us with any further documentation.
Birth Certificates, Social Security Cards, and Photo ID’s are MANDATORY for application processing. If you do not currently have any of these items, please begin the process of obtaining the documents immediately. The Housing Authority is required to house those eligible for housing in sequence from the waitlist; and a person lacking the proper documentation will be considered ineligible (and may lose the ability to be housed.)
Background Check
The next step is a background check. If you applied for a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV/Section 8), we do a local criminal check. If you applied for public housing, we not only perform a local criminal check, but also a national criminal check. We also perform a Sex Offender Registry (SOR) check. We also check to make sure that you are a citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
If you are an ineligible non-citizen, you do not qualify for housing assistance. However, if there is at least one member in your family included on the application that is an eligible citizen, you may still qualify for assistance, and it will be based on that one eligible member.
If you apply for public housing and we run a national criminal check, you may be required to get finger printing to further process your background check.
If your background check does not come back clear (for example, if we find that you are a registered sex offender, a criminal or you owe debt to the Housing Authority) you will be deemed ineligible, and you will be sent a notice letting you know that you are being withdrawn.
Intake Appointment and Enrollment Interview
If you pass your background check, we will set up an Intake Appointment. This appointment is a pre-interview to see who your previous landlords were and do landlord references. If you get poor landlord references, you may be denied.
If you are denied housing for any reason mentioned above, you are eligible to request a conference to go over why you were denied, and allow you a chance to provide documentation to show HHA that we should overturn your denial and continue processing your application.
If your application is accepted and you receive acceptable landlord references, you will be put on the wait list where you will wait for an eligible unit to become available. You will be able to check your place on the wait list by clicking here.
Once you get close to the top of the wait list, we will send you a telephone interview letter that states that you are near the top of the wait list, and that you will need to call in to HHA on a certain day and time. During this phone interview, we will review your information, do a pre-qualification over the phone, and set up an in-person one-on-one enrollment interview with you. (Depending on the size of your family, we may request a group interview.)
Once we receive verification for all of the documents and info that you give us at the enrollment interview, we will notify you that you are eligible. At this point, you will just need to wait a little while longer for a unit that matches your family’s needs to become available.
Accepting Your Housing Offer
Once a public housing unit that is the correct family size becomes available for you, we will send you an offer letter notifying you of the unit’s address, and asking if you would like to accept the unit.
You are allowed to turn down three units. If you turn down all three units, you will be removed from the waiting list and you must reapply for housing if you are still interested.
If you have more questions about the application process, click the buttons below check out our Frequently Asked Questions page, or contact us.
Housing search
Our Programs and Properties Online Pamphlet
Learn more about our available housing programs, the properties we manage, and which waiting list you should be on to be eligible for a particular property.
Use the arrow keys to flip through the pamphlet. Once you reach the “Our Public Housing Properties” section, use the scroll bar at the bottom to navigate. Tap on the stacks of photos to flip through them.