Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List Will Open

Special Edition To Announce the Opening of the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Waiting List August 3 to August 7

  • Waiting List will only be available from Midnight on Monday August 3 to Midnight on Friday August 7.  It will only be available electronically for online submissions, and once it is closed it will not be open again until 2019 at the earliest.  The last time the waiting list was opened was 2011.
  • You should have everyone currently homeless or nearing homelessness complete the application.  If they are not eligible they can sort that out if their number is called or they can decline the offer if they have found stable housing.
  • The website for applications will be http://applycuyahogacounty.tenmast.com, but will only be available for those five days.
  • For the elderly and disabled there is a telephone number to call to complete the application then the individual will be e-mailed or mailed a confirmation number. The application call center will be open from 8 am to 8 p.m.  from 8/3/2015 to 8/7
  • All the libraries and computer centers will be available to help people with the application.  It typically takes 5 minutes to complete the application with just basic information (for single individuals). It takes longer to add all the other members of a household.  All those in the household must be included (grandmother, children, etc.).
  • Duplicates will be discarded, but every adult can complete an application to get in the lottery even if that adult is a member another household.  A couple should each complete an application to better their chances.  If a parent (grandmother) is a member of a household they should complete an application as head of the household as well just to better their chances. Mom, Dad, Grandmother, 18 year old son and two minor children are a household, they should complete four applications with each adult as head of household but every application should include the other members of the family listed.
  • There is a Spanish and English version on the site and the call center has Spanish speakers as well.
  • 10,000 names will be drawn and then sorted from first to last by computer.  Those at the front of the waiting list will be selected first and the top 600 will be offered a housing voucher this year.  All the numbers of the winners will be selected by September 15, 2015.  It does not matter when you submit your application
  • Successful application will produce a confirmation number and that number will be the one posted so that individuals can see if they won the lottery and made the waiting list.  An individual can enter a couple of unique identifying pieces of information to retrieve their confirmation number if they lose it.
  • An individual can be on the Public Housing Waiting list, can be a tenant of CMHA or any other subsidized program (EDEN, Project based housing, etc) and apply for the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
  • NEOCH staff will be available from 9 to 5 every day that week to help people complete their application.  You can send people to NEOCH and we will make sure that they get their application filed and we will give them their confirmation number.
  • If your number is selected and you make it to the top of the waiting list, they will call you in for an interview at which time they will do the income verification and ask all the eligibility questions.  That could be in December 2015 or March of 2019, so it does not hurt to apply now. 
  • Winners of the lottery will have their numbers displayed on posters and on the website.  Then when you reach the top of the waiting list you will be asked to come to CMHA for an interview and verification.  You must keep in contact with CMHA if your number is selected.  They will communicate only by US Mail and will try twice to reach you.  If they are unsuccessful, they will go to the next person.  You can change your address by calling, visiting CMHA on Kinsman or registering on their website at www.cmha.net.
  • If you want to volunteer to help people complete their application for housing contact NEOCH at 216/432-0540 or e-mail advocacy (at) neoch (dot) org. 
Chris Knestrick