While roughly 100,000 New York City households currently use the voucher program, known as Section 8, it has long been at maximum capacity, and the waiting list to receive assistance has been locked since 2009.
The portal will be open to receiving new applications until 11:59 p.m. on June 9, said New York City Housing Authority spokesperson Michael Horgan. The city plans to add 200,000 households to the list. Those people would then be eligible for a Section 8 lottery in August, which would choose 1,000 households a month for the program.
The mad rush to apply for Section 8 comes as the city faces an escalating housing affordability crisis. The city’s apartment vacancy rate fell to 1.4% in 2023, the lowest in more than 50 years.
Getting one of the coveted vouchers is no guarantee that recipients will find affordable housing. Recipients of Section 8 and other housing vouchers say it’s often difficult to find brokers who will assist them in finding a home and landlords who will accept the government assistance.