After nearly 15 years, the Section 8 Choice Voucher Program waiting list will reopen for six days in June, according to Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights), who is urging people in need of housing assistance to apply for the program during the brief availability window, which begins at midnight on June 3 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on June 9.

The waiting list for the federally-funded program, which is administered by NYCHA, was last open to general applications in December, 2009. Created by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1978, the program offers subsidies to low and moderate-income families to enable them to rent housing from private landlords when otherwise they might be spending an excessive amount of their income on housing. Eligibility is based on the size of the family and its total gross income; according to NYCHA, to qualify, a household “must have a gross income of 50 percent or below the area median income and generally pay 30 percent of their adjusted monthly income toward rent.”

“If you think you may be eligible for the program, you should make sure to apply during the very brief period when the waiting list reopens,” said Assemblyman Colton. “Constituents can contact my office for assistance with their applications, if they wish. My experienced staff will be happy to guide you through the process.”

According to NYCHA, families whose applications are accepted will usually “pay no more than 40 percent of their adjusted monthly income toward their rent share.” The remainder of the rent will be paid to the landlord by NYCHA.

NYCHA says that, after the application period closes, a new waiting list will be created, with 200,000 applications “randomly selected by lottery to join the waitlist,” meaning that even if you file your application at the end of the application window, you will have just as much chance as any other applicant of being chosen for the waiting list.

More information about the voucher program can be found at NYCHA’s website; the application can be accessed at nyc.gov/section8-application. New York City’s Section 8 program is the largest in the United States; currently, 241,117 people are served by it, and approximately 25,000 landlords participate in it.

Assemblyman Colton’s district office is at 155 Kings Highway. The phone number is 718-236-1598.