City of Mesa opens waitlist for housing choice voucher program after nearly 6 years

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Starting at 10 a.m on Wednesday, the City of Mesa will open its waitlist for the housing choice voucher program. It’s the first time the city has opened the waitlist since late 2016 when it received over 7,000 applications.

The city says it’s taken nearly six years to get through all of them.

“Our housing choice voucher program is funded by HUD, it is a rental assistance program for low-income families, which will use their voucher and find independent landlords to lease to them in the city of Mesa,” Community Services Deputy Director Mary Brandon said.

A family’s portion of the rent is based on their income and typically is no more than 30 percent of their adjusted monthly income.

Brandon says the city “expects to receive over 10,000 applications” during a 2-week window that closes on Tuesday, August 30th at 5 p.m. “We are going to be doing the lottery process so out of the 10,000 or more that we receive, we will choose 4,000 applications who will be placed on their waiting list,” she said.

Mesa residents who are picked shouldn’t expect the help to come immediately since Brandon says it will likely take about three years to get through all of the applications. “Those that are at the bottom of the waiting list should be able to get assistance and be interviewed for eligibility within three years,” Brandon said.

For the families who can’t wait up to three years, Brandon suggests they apply to the Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance Program.

“We have approximately $1.4 million left in the allocated funding. We have requested additional funding through the US Treasury but we have no confirmation,” Brandon said.

If you live in Mesa and have questions about eligibility for the housing choice voucher program or need help applying, City of Mesa staff will be at the following locations on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist:

• Mesa Public Library, Main Library (64 E. 1st St.)
• Mesa Public Library, Dobson Ranch (2425 S. Dobson Road)
• Mesa Public Library, Red Mountain (635 N. Power Road)
• MesaCAN (635 E. Broadway - second floor)
• Paz de Cristo (424 W. Broadway)
• Save the Family (125 E University Drive)

For complete information, click/tap here.

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