Central list for housing help debuts Dec. 17

Rhode Island centralizes its program for residents seeking Section 8 housing assistance

By Scott Pickering
Posted 12/7/17

Two years ago, the Bristol Housing Authority opened its doors to allow people the chance to receive Section 8 federal housing assistance. In two hours, they handed out 1,100 applications, filled …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Central list for housing help debuts Dec. 17

Rhode Island centralizes its program for residents seeking Section 8 housing assistance

Posted

Two years ago, the Bristol Housing Authority opened its doors to allow people the chance to receive Section 8 federal housing assistance. In two hours, they handed out 1,100 applications, filled their waiting list, and closed things down again.

That’s been a recurring event for Executive Director Candace Pansa and the housing authority for many years. The names on their waiting list would dwindle, they’d open it up every couple of years, the list would fill within hours, and then they would close it down again for years. For those waiting and hoping for housing assistance, the mad rush toward an open waiting list would happen repeatedly throughout the year — each housing authority maintained its own separate list, so applicants would move from office to office around the state, anytime there was an open list, hoping to find assistance anywhere they could.

That all changes as of midnight on Dec. 17.

For the first time, Rhode Island will operate a centralized waiting list for federal housing assistance, with 18 different agencies collaborating on one master list. And the list won’t open at any offices; it will open online — at 12:01 a.m.

With a valid email address, applicants will be able to create an account, indicate which housing authority they’re applying to (it could be just one or all 18), and then get notified of any opportunities for housing assistance throughout Rhode Island.

Ms. Pansa is thrilled to finally see this change after years of thinking and talking about it. Massachusets has operated a similar program for about 15 years, but it took much longer to make it happen in Rhode Island.

“We’re so excited about it, and I can’t wait for it to happen. I’ve been waiting so long for this,” Ms. Pansa said.

The program, which includes state investment into a new software platform, is administered by Rhode Island Housing. Not all housing authorities in the state have signed on, but most have.

Housing assistance comes primarily from the federal government, channeled into housing authorities like those in Bristol, Warren and elsewhere. The local agencies provide stipends to landlords who accept Section 8 tenants (the money is deposited directly into the landlord’s account), and the tenants pay the difference between the housing voucher and the full rent.

Applicants are accepted based on household income, with the goal that every resident pays no more than 30 percent of their household income on housing and utilities (see chart).

The 12,000 people on Rhode Island waiting lists have already been migrated to the new system. New applicants can register beginning Dec. 17. New applications can only be submitted through the online application portal, www.waitlistcentralri.com.

The State of Rhode Island has funded this program for the first two years. After that, individual housing authorities will pay into the new system from their own funds.

Housing Choice (Section 8) Income Guidelines

To qualify for housing assistance, applicants must have a household income at or below these levels.
Number of Persons in Household: Income Limit 

1: $28,850
2: $32,450
3: $36,050
4: $38,950
5: $41,850
6: $44,750
7: $47,600 

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.