King County Section 8 Lottery Begins Wednesday

KING COUNTY, WA — The King County Housing Authority will open its lottery for the Section 8 waiting list Wednesday for the first time since 2017, the agency announced Monday. Eligible families may apply for free online 24 hours a day until the Feb. 25 deadline.

The housing authority said more than 10,200 low-income households currently receive vouchers in King County. When families exit the program, a new household is pulled from the waiting list. The February lottery will add another 2,500 families to the queue. According to the KCHA, the system's last lottery garnered nearly 20,000 applications, but there is no limit on how many households may apply.

“With housing costs in the Seattle region among the highest in the nation, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers are a crucial tool for low-income families struggling to afford the rent,” KCHA Executive Director Stephen Norman wrote in a news release.

WHAT YOU NEED TO APPLY
-The name, date of birth, relationship, social security number and ethnicity of each person in the household.
-Monthly household income, including all wages and other benefits.
-Employer's contact information, if applicable.
-Information on your current housing, including where you live and how much you pay in rent and utilities.
-Any available contact information, like a phone number, an email address, or a physical address.

According to a 2017 report, roughly 118,000 King County households were found to be "severely cost-burdened," spending more than 50 percent of their income on housing costs.

Applicants are not required to currently live in King County to participate in the voucher lottery.

You can find answers to frequently asked questions and a complete list of eligibility requirements on the KCHA website. Those without internet access can go to any King County library, or visit several housing authority locations in-person.

Applications will be accepted starting at 7 a.m. on Feb. 12 and must be submitted before 4 p.m. on Feb. 25. Those selected by the computer-randomized lottery will receive a notification by March 31.