Seattle - King County Housing Authority will accept applications for its Section 8 Rental Assistance Program waiting list for two weeks starting Tuesday June 4 and ending Tuesday, June 18.

This opportunity allows eligible applicants to qualify for a rental subsidy, through the Housing Choice Voucher program, which can be used in the private market. The last time the Section 8 program accepted applications for the waiting list was August 2000. Currently, KCHA’s Section 8 Program provides rental assistance to more than 6,400 families in King County.

Those wishing to apply may download an application at www.kcha.org or pick up an application packet at one of the following eight locations:

• Section 8 Office – 15455 65th Ave. South, Tukwila
• KCHA’s Eastside Office – 1129 8th St., Kirkland
• Southwest Area at Park Lake Homes – 9800 8th Ave. SW, White Center
• South Area at Green River Homes Apartments – 1103 9th St. SE, Auburn
• North Area at Ballinger Homes – 2200 NE 201st Pl., Shoreline
• Spiritwood Apartments– 1424 148th Ave. SE, Bellevue
• Southeast Area at Springwood Apartments– 27360 129th Pl. SE, Kent
• Mt. Si Senior Center – 411 S. Main St., North Bend

Applications must be returned by mail and postmarked by June 18 to the following address:

King County Housing Authority
Section 8
P.O. Box 68607
Seattle, WA 98168

A random drawing will be held after June 18 to determine an applicant’s final placement on the waiting list. Applicants must have limited income and qualify for one of the local housing preferences to be eligible. These preferences are:

• Households are homeless or about to become homeless;
• Families are living in substandard housing; or
• Families are spending more than 50 percent of their incomes on rent.

The Section 8 Program pays rental housing subsidies – provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and managed by KCHA – to private landlords on behalf of low-income households. The subsidy allows program participants to find housing in the private rental market. Generally HUD pays the difference between the rent charged by a housing owner and the assisted household’s rental contribution, usually 30-40 percent of the household’s income adjusted for family size and utility costs.

KCHA administers a range of quality affordable rental and homeownership programs for residents of King County. The Authority serves more than 14,000 families, elderly and disabled households.