Houston public housing waitlists reopen June 22 after 2023 closure

Houston-area renters seeking subsidized housing will get a short opening starting June 22. Housing Alliance HTX says it will reopen waitlists for eight public housing properties through July 6, the first such opening since 2023.

The application window matters because it is limited and it is not first-come, first-served. After the deadline passes, the agency will use a random lottery to decide which new applicants are placed on the waitlists. Creating a RentCafe account before June 22 does not count as an application.

What is open, and what is still closed

This reopening applies only to public housing waitlists. The Housing Choice Voucher waitlist, often called Section 8, remains closed and is not accepting new applications. That distinction matters for households that have been waiting for an opening in subsidized housing and may assume every list is reopening at once.

The eight properties in the lottery are Kelly Village, Lincoln Park, Long Drive, Oxford Place, Bellerive, Lyerly, Independence Heights and Irvinton Village. Applicants may choose up to three of the eight properties. Two of the communities, Bellerive and Lyerly, are reserved for seniors age 62 and older.

How some voucher waitlist households can crosslist

There is one separate path for some households already on the closed Housing Choice Voucher waitlist. Housing Alliance HTX says those roughly 2,500 households will receive an email with a consent form and may choose to be added to the public housing waitlists. If they return the form, they will not go through the lottery. Instead, they will be placed based on the date and time the agency receives the completed form.

That means the reopening is not a guarantee of housing, but it is a rare chance for eligible applicants to get onto site-based public housing waitlists in a city where openings do not come around often. Current public housing waitlist households do not need to do anything to keep their place in line.

Why the deadline matters

For low-income Houston-area residents, the timing is the story. Affordable housing options remain tight, and the application window runs for just two weeks. Housing Alliance HTX says assistance will be available during the application period for people who need help, including phone support at 713-260-0500 and in-person help at its office at 2640 Fountain View.

Applicants who want to try for one of the eight properties should review the agency’s instructions before the window opens, prepare a RentCafe account in advance, and return to the portal between June 22 and July 6 to submit an application. The lottery results and next steps are expected later in July.

Sources

• Housing Alliance HTX public housing waitlist lottery announcement
• Houston Chronicle coverage of the reopening
• KPRC 2 applicant guidance