Welcome to the District of Columbia Housing Authority’s Client Placement Division! Thank you for contacting us. It is our goal to provide courteous and prompt assistance to all of our customers.

Applying for Housing Assistance

As the first step to accessing the housing opportunities offered by the District of Columbia Housing Authority, the Client Placement Division is responsible for application intake, waiting list management, and eligibility determination for the Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher Tenant Based (formerly known as the Section 8 program) and Housing Choice Voucher Moderate Rehabilitation Project Based (formerly known as the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation program) programs. Each program gives rental assistance to eligible low-income families. Our web page was designed to help you find the right program or programs for you by answering those Key Questions that are most often asked by applicants. You can access an Application for Housing Assistance by clicking here. You can also access a Checklist to help make sure you are aware of each step in the application process by clicking here. You will need Adobe Acrobat to download each form.

If you need help with the application process, call the Client Placement Division at (202) 535-1706.

What type of Housing Assistance is offered?

The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) administers 3 subsidized housing programs, with a separate waiting list for each program. Rental assistance is provided to low income families through each housing program and the assistance is based on household income. 

Types of Housing Program Waiting Lists:

1.Public Housing

The Public Housing program consists of fifty-two apartment communities in Washington, DC that are managed and maintained by DCHA. 

2. Housing Choice Voucher--Tenant based Vouchers (Formerly known as the Section 8 Voucher Program)

The Housing Choice Voucher Tenant Based Program (HCVP) provides rental assistance to eligible families obtaining housing from private landlords. A voucher allows you to identify where you would like to live. Once a voucher is issued, a voucher holder can live in any locality in the United States that has a Housing Choice Voucher Tenant Based Program (HCVP). Tenant Based units are managed and maintained by HCVP landlords.

3. Housing Choice Voucher Moderate Rehabilitation--Project Based Vouchers (Formerly known as the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Program)

The Housing Choice Voucher Moderate Rehabilitation Program includes apartment communities throughout Washington, DC that are managed by individual landlords. The assistance provided is called “Project-Based” or “Unit-Based”. This means that the assistance provided to pay rent is only for the unit in which a family lives. Unlike a Housing Choice Voucher Program “Tenant Based” voucher, the assistance provided through the Moderate Rehabilitation Program cannot be transferred to another unit.

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Who Can Apply for Housing Assistance?

Housing assistance is available for low - income families. Income limits are determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development each year and are available in the Client Placement Division’s Client Services Center.

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How Can I Apply For Housing Assistance?

In Person:

Persons interested in applying or to change the information on their housing application must call 202-435-3245 between 08:30 am and 4:30 pm to schedule an appointment in the Client Placement Division’s Client Services Center. Appointment’s are scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays at:

1133 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 178, Washington, DC 20002

By Mail:

Applications may be mailed to the Client Services Center at the address above.  To request an application be forwarded to you, call the Client Placement Division at (202) 535-1706 from 8:30AM-3:45PM, Monday-Friday. 

Assistance in filling out an application will be provided upon request. Applications received by mail will be reviewed for completeness, signature and date of the person applying as the head of the household and the inclusion of the photo ID, proof of birth and social security cards for each household member.  Complete applications will generate the forwarding of a receipt acknowledging the acceptance of same. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant along with the reason for the return. 

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Do You Provide Assistance for Persons With Disabilities?

YES. In addition to having a selection preference for persons with disabilities, the District of Columbia Housing Authority also provides “reasonable accommodations”. A “reasonable accommodation” is a change that can be made to a unit owned and operated by the District of Columbia Housing Authority or procedure to allow persons with disabilities to have the same opportunity for housing as any other applicant. You may request a reasonable accommodation for assistance anytime during the application or housing process. All requests must be submitted in writing.

NO ONE IS REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE A DISABILITY. THIS INFORMATION IS OPTIONAL. IF YOU OR A MEMBER OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD REQUIRES A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION VISIT THE CLIENT PLACEMENT DIVISION OR CONTACT OUR OFFICE AT (202) 535-1706. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS CONCERNING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, CONTACT THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY ADA/504 COORDINATOR AT (202) 535-2737.

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How Long Will It Take Before I Am Housed?

There are a number of families in need of housing assistance on the Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher Tenant Based and Housing Choice Voucher Moderate Rehabilitation Project Based program waiting lists. We cannot predict when your name will reach the top of a waiting list. Reaching the top of a waiting list depends on the availability of units and vouchers, when you applied for a program, and any selection preferences you may have indicated on your application. When your name reaches the top of a waiting list, based on date, time and preference (if any), you will be contacted by mail for a scheduled final eligibility interview.

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Where Am I On the Waiting List?

The Client Placement Division does not provide waiting list position numbers because of the number of different factors that affect an applicant position on a waiting list. Therefore, applicants wanting to know there position on a waiting list are told which lists for which they are currently active, the date they applied for the program and any selection preferences they indicated on their application.

Am I Eligible?

Eligibility for housing assistance is based on your family’s total annual gross income and family size. Housing assistance is limited to US citizens and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status. Your family income cannot exceed certain limits based on family size. The income limits are listed below.

We are responsible for admitting applicants that will be good neighbors, so we take the screening process seriously. In addition, there are other non-income related screening criteria that the District of Columbia Housing Authority uses to determine eligibility. Once your name reaches the top of a program waiting list, we will collect information about your family. Some of this information includes family income, past rental history, criminal activity assets, and family Composition. We will verify this information with other local agencies, your employer, bank, etc. This information is used to determine program eligibility and the amount of your housing assistance payment.

Income Limits

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Does My Living Situation Qualify Me For a Waiting List Selection Preference?

YES. The District of Columbia Housing Authority has waiting list selection preferences for certain situations. Indicating a preference affects where you are placed on the waiting list only. It does not guarantee that you will be offered housing assistance.

Selection Preferences For All Programs

Homeless    

Not having a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence; the applicant’s primary nighttime address is a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations; an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or a public or private place not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

Unit Unfit for Habitation  

Living in a unit that is considered substandard as determined by a certified inspector pursuant to the building and/or housing codes of the District of Columbia (or other applicable jurisdiction), at the time of preference verification.

Unit Code Violations

Living in a unit that contains one or more Housing Quality Standards or Code Violations.

Involuntarily Displaced

Having vacated or will vacate (within no more than six months from the date of preference verification) housing as a result of: disaster (e.g. fire, flood, etc.); federal, state or local government action related to code enforcement or public improvement or development; action by a housing owner which is beyond an applicant’s control; or domestic violence; or hate crimes.

Inaccessibility of Unit

Unable to use current housing because applicant or a member of the household has mobility or other impairment.

Rent Burden

Paying more than 50% of income toward rent and utilities.

Selection Preferences For Public Housing Only

Working Family

Head of household, spouse or sole member is:

• Employed at least 20 hours per week
• Self employed
• Attending School full-time
• Attending a certified General Equivalency Diploma (GED program
• Participates in a verifiable job training program
• Elderly
• Disabled

Elderly
A family whose head of household, spouse, or sole member is 62 years of age or older;

Near-Elderly
A family whose head of household, spouse, or sole member is at least 50 years of age, but below and 62 years of age; and

Disabled
A family whose head of household, spouse or sole member has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life functions.

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Updating Your Application

►You should report to the Client Placement Division in person, or in writing, any change in your mailing address, family composition, selection preference category, etc.  This is done by completing an Update Of Housing Application Form.   Whether received by mail or in person, submitted Update of Housing Application Forms are reviewed for completeness. If complete, signed and dated, a receipt is issued acknowledging acceptance of the update.   Incomplete updates will be returned with the reason why.

Important Note For All Applicants

If you do not respond to letters sent by the Client Placement Division for the purposes of scheduling an interview, obtaining information, or updating your application, your housing application will be withdrawn and your name will be removed from the waiting list.

►If you are a former resident of any federally assisted housing programs and owe a debt based on your past tenancy, you must resolve the debt before your name reaches the top of a waiting list and housing assistance can be offered. You can check your rental balance for tenancy in public housing administered by the District of Columbia Housing Authority through the Tenant Program Accounts Branch by calling (202) 535-1141. For money you owe related to your participation in the Housing Choice Voucher Tenant Based or the Housing Choice Voucher Moderate Rehabilitation Project Based programs contact your former landlord.

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