ROANOKE, Va. – The deadline for Roanoke residents to submit their applications to be placed on the Section 8 housing waitlist was Friday afternoon. During the course of the week, the authorities received more than 4,000 applications.
That is an increase of 1,500 applications in comparison to what the authority received in both 2015 and 2019. Because applications are no longer being accepted, those who want to be placed on the waitlist will have to participate in a lottery.
The head of RRHA says that landlords need to be aware that some applicants may look at available units.
According to David Bustamante, “If you’re a landlord and you have over four units, you really cannot tell somebody that you will not rent to them because they have a voucher. Everybody that has the availability must at least consider that person for tenancy.”
The authorities are planning to hand out as many vouchers as the monthly funding will permit. Each month, the Housing and Urban Development Department may provide the authority for up to one million dollars in funding for Section 8 vouchers.
RRHA asks applicants to make sure that their contact information is always up to date.
