MACON, Ga. (WGXA)-- Section eight is causing housing headaches for thousands in Middle Georgia.
Last week WGXA's Ereina Plunkett reported the two-year-long wait times for housing-- turns out the wait is even longer than that, and the calls confirming have been flooding into the station.
One of them from struggling resident, Jaime Kellam.
"This is for Miss Plunkett... I just saw a broadcast on the section eight housing... I barely have means of eating or living arrangements... I've been waiting on the list since 2019 and I've applied for it and I still haven't got any answer.. I [hope] you can help," said Kellam on a voicemail left on our viewer tip line.
Kellam says he's been trying to get a referral through disability connection for section eight for four years.
"Please please help me and the other people that need help, because we've been waiting too long because we need help and other people need help too," Kellam pleaded.
After completing budgeting classes, and providing all the necessary paperwork to get on the list we were told by this employee of Disability Connection they're so backlogged that they're just now getting caught up on cases from four years ago.
According to Disability Connection, they usually can only refer five cases every month to the Macon Housing Authority for a section eight voucher.
"From my experience, for people that's been on the list it takes up to five years," replied the employee.
CEO of Macon Housing Authority, Mike Austin says it's a lengthy process that has been put under pressure due to a shortage in housing.
"We open up the section eight waiting list usually about every three or four years because the demand is so high when we do open it, typically we only have it open for about a week, and in that week its not uncommon for us to receive between two and three thousand applications," explained Austin.
Austin says although the waiting list for vouchers is closed the quickest way to get housing is to go to a property with a direct contact within section eight, and put in multiple applications for as many lists as you can.