Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) Open Enrollment

Opportunity Home will accept preliminary applications from Wednesday, Nov. 1, through Wednesday, Nov. 15, at homesa.org.

All applications must be completed online at homesa.org.

No, you do not. If you are already on the Housing Choice Voucher waitlist, we will call you off the waitlist before we begin helping families who are applying during this open enrollment period.

You can check your status by logging into your applicant portal account on homesa.myhousing.com/account/login. If you do not remember your login information, send an email to [email protected] to speak with staff who can help or you may call 210.477.6406.

Once the open enrollment period ends, you will receive an email within 30 days stating whether you were added to the waitlist or not. If you are selected by the lottery, it can take up from 1 to 2 years before you will move to the eligibility process.

You will receive an email with next steps and helpful information within 30 days.

We will use email and social media when we announce the next open enrollment period for our Housing Choice Voucher program.

Your chances to be selected by the lottery system will be the same regardless of when you apply.

Opportunity Home’s Housing Choice Voucher Program waitlist was last open from June 29, 2022 to July 13, 2022. During that open enrollment period, we accepted 12,000 applications.

You have the option to apply for our Public Housing Program by visiting homesa.org/housing. We also have affordable housing options at our Beacon Communities and Partnership properties where you can check if you are eligible for housing assistance through these avenues.

Yes, Public Housing and Section 8, now known as the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, are separate programs. Public Housing is comprised of approximately 74 properties that are owned and operated by Opportunity Home, while an HCV voucher is provided to eligible applicants to rent from any private sector landlord who accepts vouchers.

After applicants apply for housing, they must create an online portal account within 30 days at homesa.org. A portal account allows applicants to:

• Update any information such as mailing address, phone number, and adding or removing existing family members. This is crucial for Opportunity Home to have updated to communicate with the applicant.
• Monitor current waitlist status.
• Apply to additional waitlists.

• Go to homesa.org and click on Apply for Housing.
• Scroll down and click Apply Here.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the next page and click on Already Applied? (this will appear in blue letters).
• You will be directed to the Login page and click on Register (in blue letters).
• You will be taken to the Registration page, where you will enter the first initial of your first name, your complete last name, and your date of birth.
• Enter your confirmation number on the following page and press enter.
• The next page will give you your username and access to create a password.
• ALWAYS keep your username and password accessible.
• A step-by-step guide can be found here.

• Go to homesa.myhousing.com/account/login.
• Enter your Username and Password and click login.
• On the right side of your homepage underneath Actions, you can click on Update Your Application.
• On the next page, there will be instruction on how to navigate through your portal account.

• Go to homesa.myhousing.com/account/login
• Click on Forgot Password? (in blue letters)
• The next page will ask you to enter your email address.

Please note: the email address must be the same email address you used when you initially created your portal account. If you no longer have access to this email address, you can contact Opportunity Home staff at 210.477.6406 for assistance.

Public Housing (PH)

The current estimated wait time for most properties is seven and nine years. Elderly/disabled developments average between four and six years wait time.

Voucher Programs

The estimated wait time is one to two years.

When an applicant is called off the waitlist, a pre-application will be sent to the address they provided in their online application. The pre- application is time sensitive and is due back to Opportunity Home within 10 business days from the date it was mailed. Applicants can also log into their portal accounts and see if a letter has been mailed.

Opportunity Home does not offer emergency housing assistance. For information on emergency housing providers in your area, please call 2-1-1 or visit 211.org. You can directly contact one of our 27 Beacon Communities that provide subsidized or mixed-income housing.

For a listing of Beacon Communities, visit homesa.org/beacon.

Applications for Opportunity Home housing assistance may be submitted online at homesa.org.

Public Housing

There are three Public Housing waitlists: Family Public Housing, Elderly/Disabled Public Housing, and Accessible Public Housing. At the end of the online application, applicants will be informed of which waitlists they are eligible for.

Voucher Programs

Applications for the Housing Choice Voucher (“Section 8”) Program may only be submitted when the waitlist is open. Announcements for reopening are made on social media, print and digital media outlets and on Opportunity Home’s website.

If an applicant has already made changes on their account, they must wait for any previous changes to be approved and processed before creating any new changes. Changes typically take 24-48 hours to process.

An error message might appear if an applicant is not active on any Waitlist (they are welcome to reapply) or there may be a “Duplicate Head of Household” error. Applicants can email [email protected] for assistance.

Applicants must wait 24 hours before registering for a username if selected. Selected applicants must create a portal within 30 days.

Most errors are due to an application already being submitted on the same day. They must wait for the application to upload to our systems in order to register for a username.

Yes, only when the waitlist is open. Residents of Opportunity Home’s public housing properties can still apply for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8).