Philadelphia

PHA's Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List Lottery Site Can't Keep Up With Demand

The Philadelphia Housing Authority is planning to pick 10,000 people as part of its Housing Choice Voucher lottery

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People in Philadelphia now have the chance to get into a lottery for low-income public housing -- but they should plan on being patient to do so.

The Philadelphia Housing Authority opened its Housing Choice Voucher program for the first time in more than 12 years on Jan. 23, 2023.

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Applications will be taken for two weeks both on the PHA website or by calling, (215) 999-3102, until Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 at 5:59 p.m.

Then, a lottery will be used to pick 10,000 people to get on the waiting list. The first 2,000 are expected to receive housing vouchers this year.

The PHA website quickly became overwhelmed by people seeking affordable housing.

"Due to the overwhelming demand this morning for HCV lottery applications, the PHA website was experiencing some technical issues," PHA posted to its Facebook page Monday morning. It is working now. We apologize for any inconvenience, but ask everyone to remember that the HCV lottery will be open until Feb. 5, 2023.

"With a computer randomly selecting 10,000 winners, it doesn't matter if you apply the first day or the last day. If you experience technical issues, please call 215-999-3102 or try the website again. Thanks for your patience."

People will find out in March if they made it onto the waiting list.

Click here for answers to FAQs from the PHA.

NBC10 is one of more than 20 news organizations collaboratively reporting on solutions to poverty and Philadelphia’s push towards economic mobility. You can find other stories in the series here.

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