The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) administers the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, also known as Section 8, which provides rental subsidies for eligible low-income families so they can rent decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Eligible families receive a voucher to search for housing within a neighborhood of their choice and rent a unit from a participating landlord. Families pay a reasonable share of their income toward rent, and the program provides a subsidy to cover the difference.

NYCHA is no longer accepting applications from the general public, effective June 9, 2024.

NYCHA has a priority system that ranks each applicant based on predetermined preference categories using the information that is given on the application.

Preferences, in order of priority, are:

1. Mobility impaired and residing in inaccessible housing
2. Elderly persons (62 years of age and older) and persons with disabilities
3. All other applicants

No. Section 8 is intended for low-income families that fit the following criteria:

• Head of household is 18 years of age or older (or declared an "emancipated minor");
• At least one member of the family is a U.S. citizen or non-citizen with eligible immigration status; and
• The household’s gross income is 50 percent or below the area median income (AMI) [see the income limit chart below].

You may be eligible if your family's annual gross income does not exceed the following income limits:

You will be notified of the lottery results via email starting August 1, 2024. Hard copies of the notifications will follow via U.S. Mail. All applicants should be notified by August 12, 2024.

We ask that you wait until August 13, 2024, to follow up on application status. If notification has not been received, you can call the Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8am and 5pm.

If you receive confirmation that you have been selected for the waitlist you will have the ability to create an online profile and track the status of your application by logging into NYCHA’s Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info).

No action is required for those who were not selected for the waitlist.

Once the application period closes, NYCHA will randomly place 200,000 applications on the waitlist. Submitting an application does not guarantee the application will be placed on the waitlist.

NYCHA will notify households by U.S. Mail when their application is reached to complete the eligibility process. The notice will ask applicants to provide information necessary to complete the process, including vital documents, income, assets, and expenses. We will also conduct a criminal background check on all family members who are 16 years of age and older. We will then schedule you for an eligibility interview. If you meet the criteria, you will be issued a Housing Choice Voucher and be briefed on the program.

Those who receive confirmation that they have been selected for the waitlist can create a NYCHA Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info) account and track the status of their application there.

No action is required for those who were not selected for the waitlist.

It is important that NYCHA has your most up-to-date information. You must update your application on NYCHA's Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info) - which is accessible online using a computer, smartphone, or tablet - by the deadline indicated in the Application Renewal letter NYCHA will send you every two years. Doing so will indicate that you are still interested in the program and would like to remain on the waitlist.

NYCHA cannot expedite applications at the request of an individual or third party.

A voucher is issued if an applicant is found eligible during the Section 8 eligibility interview process. If found eligible, NYCHA will issue a Housing Choice Voucher. Once issued, you must sign your voucher and begin your search for an apartment. The voucher is valid for 180 days after. This includes an initial term of 120 days plus a 60-day extension. Additional requests for voucher extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis through reasonable accommodation requests.

Generally, HCV participants contribute 30 percent of their monthly gross income towards rent. To learn more about the program, please visit our Section 8 page at on.nyc.gov/section8-tenants.

There is no impact to households currently on NYCHA's Section 8 waitlist. NYCHA will continue to assign vouchers (when they become available) using the existing waitlist and will add 200,000 randomly selected applications to the waitlist.

Apply online at selfserve.nycha.info from any internet-connected device. If you do not have internet access, you can schedule an appointment at any of our Walk-in Centers and apply using a NYCHA kiosk. If you need help completing your application, please call our Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

You do not need to submit any documents with your application. The information you provide will be verified at the time of your Eligibility Interview.

If you apply as a "Victim of Domestic Violence," you must first submit your application and then complete a Victim of Domestic Violence (VDV) form. The VDV form can be completed on NYCHA's Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info) by clicking "VDV Upgrade" and then completing the "VDV Request." You can also request a "VDV Document Review Form" from our Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771.

Application status can be checked on NYCHA's Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info). You will also receive a letter from NYCHA within 30 days after submitting your application. If you do not receive the letter after 30 days, call our Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Application status can be checked on NYCHA's Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info).

Yes, any changes to the information you submitted as part of your application - including home and mailing address, phone numbers, email, income, borough of preference, need for an accessible apartment, and reason for applying - should be updated on NYCHA's Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info).

Your application is active for two years. Until you are called for an Eligibility Interview, you must review, update, and renew your application by clicking "Update/Renew My Case" on NYCHA's Self-Service Portal (selfserve.nycha.info) every two years (24 months) to remain on the waitlist. After the renewal, you will retain the filing date of the original application.

Yes, you can apply for both programs. However, you can only receive housing or assistance from one program at any time (for example, you cannot receive Section 8 assistance while living in Public Housing). If you are on the waitlist for both programs and are selected for housing or assistance in one program, your waitlist priority in the other program will be significantly reduced to reflect this change in status.

No, you do not have to be a New York City resident to apply. However, due to NYCHA's long waitlist, applicants who live or work in New York City are prioritized on NYCHA's Public Housing waitlist.

No, you do not have to be a U.S. citizen to apply, but at least one member of your household must be a U.S. citizen or a non-citizen with eligible immigration status (e.g., Permanent Resident, Refugee/Asylum statuses).

You must be 18 years or older or an emancipated minor to apply for Public Housing.

Yes, single adults are eligible to apply for Public Housing.

You and all other household members must be 62 years of age or older to reside in a development reserved for seniors.

NYCHA cannot expedite applications at the request of an individual or third party.

No, there is no minimum income requirement to be eligible for Public Housing.

Yes, please review the income limits on NYCHA's eligibility information page.

Applicants will remain on the waitlist until selected for an Eligibility Interview. Applicants are prioritized for an Eligibility Interview based on their housing priority, the available units in the applicant's preferred boroughs, the available units which match the applicant's household size, and the date of initial application submission.Because of the extremely large size of the waitlist and low vacancy rate, we cannot estimate when you will be selected for an Eligibility Interview.

Your NYCHA rent is calculated as 30 percent of your household's anticipated gross annual income minus deductions.

If, after attending the Eligibility Interview, NYCHA finds you preliminarily eligible for Public Housing, it will notify you by mail of your placement on a Certified Waitlist. When a suitable apartment becomes available, NYCHA performs a Criminal Background Check (CBC) for every household member 16 years of age and older. If everyone passes, NYCHA offers you an apartment. If any household member fails the CBC, NYCHA will not offer an apartment but will instead send a letter with instructions on what to do next. If you do not respond to the letter, your application will no longer be considered.

Yes, NYCHA has accessible apartments designed for people with mobility impairments, physical disabilities, and/or special medical needs.