HACLA Section 8 in Los Angeles: how the waitlist lottery works

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) gives out Section 8 vouchers, which pay part of your rent to a private landlord. To get a HACLA Section 8 voucher, you first need a place on its waitlist, the line of people waiting for one. HACLA fills that list by lottery, a random drawing, during short openings it announces only days ahead.

How do you find out when the HACLA Section 8 waitlist opens?

Check HACLA's Section 8 page and its news page now and then. HACLA opened this list in 2017 and in 2022, and before 2017 it had been closed for 13 years, so join other offices' lists while you wait. HACLA's FAQ says it announces each opening in newspapers, on television and radio, on social media and on its website. To see which California lists are taking names today, check our California waitlists page.

Federal rules say a housing office must give public notice when it opens its list, saying where and when to apply. HACLA's notice has been short. It announced its 2017 lottery on October 13 for a start on October 16, and its 2022 lottery on October 11 for a start on October 17. So when an opening is announced, apply that week.

How does the HACLA waitlist lottery work?

In its last two openings, HACLA took applications online for about two weeks, then a computer picked names at random. When it opened the list in 2022, its notice set these rules:

• Online only, from October 17 to 30, 2022. Applying early gave no advantage.
• Free, one application per household. You needed an email address, the head of household's details, the number of people in your household and your total income.
• Up to 30,000 places. A computer picked them at random. Once on the list, people who live or work in the city of Los Angeles and veterans got preference, meaning HACLA offers them vouchers first.
• Results by email. Everyone heard by December 1, 2022 whether they were picked, HACLA said when the window closed.

Few applicants got a place on the list in HACLA's last two openings.

Being picked puts you in line for a voucher, not in an apartment. HACLA checks whether you qualify only when your name reaches the top, which can take years. Then it checks your income, your preference and your criminal background. HACLA says how long that takes depends on its funding and on how many vouchers are free.

Who gets preference on HACLA's list?

A preference moves you ahead of other people on the list. HACLA's FAQ lists two for Section 8:

• City residency. You live in the city of Los Angeles, or you work there at least 20 hours a week or have a job offer there.
• Veterans. You serve in the U.S. military, or you left it under conditions other than dishonorable.

You can apply from anywhere. But HACLA checks this when your name comes up. If you don't live or work in the city then, it may turn you down or move you to the bottom of the list.

What are HACLA's 2026 income limits?

An income limit is the most your household can earn in a year and still get a voucher. To qualify for a HACLA voucher, your income must be at or under the very low limit in HACLA's table, effective June 1, 2026:

Federal rules say at least 75% of the households a housing office newly gives vouchers to each year must have extremely low incomes. So if your income is above the extremely low limit, expect a longer wait. HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, sets the extremely low limit. It is 60% of the very low limit, or the federal poverty guideline if that is higher. That is why it is $50,000 for four people.

What else does HACLA run?

• Public housing, apartments HACLA owns and rents out. Your rent is about 30% of your income. HACLA keeps one waitlist for all 12 of its public housing sites, so you can't pick a site. You apply through HACLA's Rent Café portal when that list is open, and you can be on it and the Section 8 list at the same time.
• Project-based vouchers. A project-based voucher lowers the rent on one apartment in a particular building while you live there. HACLA keeps no waitlist for them. You get one only through a referral from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority or its partner groups.

How is the county list different?

The Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA), the county's housing office, runs a separate Section 8 list. LACDA covers the parts of the county that aren't in any city, plus 62 cities. Eighteen cities in the county have their own housing offices, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Glendale and Burbank.

To find out which office covers an address, use the address lookup on LACDA's where-we-operate page. HUD's directory lists the housing office for each city. HUD says waits are long, so you may need to join several lists.

If you are homeless and no outreach worker or shelter is helping you yet, LACDA says to call 2-1-1, which answers 24 hours a day. The group that helps you can refer you to LACDA's voucher program.

How do you avoid Section 8 scams?

A housing office can't charge you to apply for a Section 8 voucher, and nobody can pay to move you up the list. The Federal Trade Commission warns that look-alike websites charge fees for Section 8 lotteries and often show up at the top of search results. Apply only through HACLA's own website or the address it gives in its announcement.

What can you do while you wait for an opening?

1. Find the office that covers the area where you want to live, with LACDA's address lookup or HUD's directory.
2. Check each office's page now and then for an opening, and apply as soon as one is announced.
3. Keep your address current if you're already on HACLA's list. HACLA removes people who move without telling it. Call 833-422-5248 to check your status or report a change.
4. Gather your papers now, using our Section 8 application checklist, and join Section 8 waitlists that are open in other areas.
5. Apply for income-restricted apartments too. These have lower rents for households under an income limit, and many have their own waitlists. Our Los Angeles page and the city's Access Housing LA site list them. Our qualify check shows which fit your household's size and income.