CMHA Cleveland Section 8 Lottery List Open (October 2026)
Quick answerCuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) in Cleveland, Ohio was taking Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) preliminary applications on October 8, 2026. Its page read "CMHA is now accepting year-round preliminary applications" and said the list "will have no closing date." Names are picked by repeated lotteries, and an application stays active for 18 months. Applying is free and online. An application is a chance in a drawing, and a voucher comes later.
Last checked: October 8, 2026, against CMHA's Housing Choice Voucher Applications page, Rent page and Portability page; CMHA's HCV Administrative Plan (cover date January 1, 2025; board approved October 2, 2024); HUD's FY 2026 Section 8 income limits and FY 2027 Fair Market Rents; and 24 CFR 982.353 and 982.503.
- Openstatus on CMHA's own page, October 8, 2026, with no closing date
- Lotteryhow names are picked, in repeated drawings
- 18 monthshow long a preliminary application stays active
- $0cost to apply
- 216-431-1471, option 6CMHA Applications Team
- 180 dayssearch time on a voucher once issued
What Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority says
CMHA (HUD code OH003) said on October 8, 2026 that it takes preliminary voucher applications all year, online. Its Housing Choice Voucher Applications page carries a banner: "Preliminary applications are accepted at any time!"
- No closing date"Lottery-style selections from the preliminary applications will be ongoing, and the waiting list will have no closing date."
- Repeated drawingsCMHA "will select applications through multiple mini lotteries from the preliminary application database."
- No promised timing"your name may come up within a few days, or it may take months."
- 18-month life"Your preliminary application is valid for 18 months. If it expires, you can immediately apply again to stay in the selection pool."
- Old applicationspeople who applied in earlier years "need to reapply."
What it means: the order is random, so applying early gives no edge. What matters is an active application on the day of each drawing.
Source: CMHA, Housing Choice Voucher Applications, read October 8, 2026.
Watch outCMHA's site is cmha.net. Other Ohio housing authorities share the initials, so check the address before entering personal details. The page's FAQ names "cmha.net/apply", which returned an error on October 8, 2026; use the page's "Apply" button.
How to apply
Apply through the "Apply" button on CMHA's voucher page, which opens its online applicant portal and charges nothing.
- 1Get a private email accountCMHA requires one, because "all CMHA notifications and updates will be shared via email."
- 2Open the portaluse the "Apply" button on cmha.net and register.
- 3Complete the preliminary applicationSocial Security number, names and dates of birth of all household members, and each member's income.
- 4Claim any preferencethe plan gives preference points "in accordance with preferences claimed on their application" (section 4-I.D).
- 5Look for the acceptance noticethe plan says the system "will immediately notify the applicant once the application has been accepted."
- 6Mark the 18-month datereapply when the application expires.
What it means: this is step one of two. The full application, with documents, comes only if a drawing picks the household. The portal's own screens could not be read for this article.
Source: CMHA voucher page, read October 8, 2026, and CMHA HCV Administrative Plan, sections 4-I.B and 4-I.D.
- An active private email account
- Your Social Security number
- The names and dates of birth of all household members
- The income of each household member
- A phone number and mailing address that will still work in 18 months
No home computer is needed. CMHA says applicants "can use kiosks and computers at CMHA's Main Campus", and that the Cleveland and Cuyahoga County public libraries offer internet hotspots.
Watch outApplying is free. Anyone who charges a fee to apply, to hold a place in line or to promise a voucher is not the housing authority. The Federal Trade Commission's Section 8 alert says "there is no fee to register for a Section 8 waiting list."
Who can apply
A household can apply if its income is at or below the limit for its size, and living outside Cuyahoga County does not bar it.
| Household size | CMHA page (table dated 4.03.2025) | HUD FY 2026 very low (50%) | HUD FY 2026 extremely low (30%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $34,800 | $36,750 | $22,050 |
| 2 people | $39,800 | $42,000 | $25,200 |
| 3 people | $44,750 | $47,250 | $28,350 |
| 4 people | $49,700 | $52,500 | $33,000 |
| 5 people | $53,700 | $56,700 | $38,680 |
| 6 people | $57,700 | $60,900 | $44,360 |
| 7 people | $61,650 | $65,100 | $50,040 |
| 8 people | $65,650 | $69,300 | $55,720 |
What it means: CMHA's page still showed its 2025 table. A household between the two columns should ask the Applications Team which figures apply. The plan requires at least 75% of admissions to be extremely low income families (section 3-II.A).
Source: CMHA voucher page, read October 8, 2026; HUD, FY 2026 Section 8 income limits, row "Cuyahoga County" (Cleveland, OH HUD Metro FMR Area).
- Single peoplethe plan's definition of family includes "any other single person" (section 3-I.B). More in Can a Single Person Get Section 8?
- Citizenshipat least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status (section 3-II.B); see What Disqualifies You From Section 8?
- Already assistedCMHA's page says applicants "are NOT eligible" if they receive rental assistance from another agency.
- Living outside the areaallowed, with a trade-off. If neither the head of household nor the spouse lived in CMHA's area when applying, the family must lease there for 12 months before moving the voucher (section 10-II.B; 24 CFR 982.353). See How Section 8 Portability Works.
How CMHA picks names: preference points, then a lottery
CMHA draws at random among the applicants holding the most preference points, according to its plan.
| Points | Preference | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Insufficient funding | Families CMHA terminated from its voucher program for lack of funding |
| 40 | CMHA-displaced | Families displaced from CMHA-owned or operated properties |
| 40 | Victims of disaster | Federal, state or locally declared disasters |
| 40 | Emergency transfer | Violence Against Women Act transfers from CMHA's own housing programs |
| 40 | Homeless | No more than 150 households a year, referred by a partner homeless service provider |
| 40 | Moving On | Up to 10% of turnover vouchers, for people leaving supportive housing on a Continuum of Care referral |
| 40 | Other referral programs | Ohio Home Choice (up to 25 vouchers), Healthy Beginnings at Home (45 vouchers), Family Unification Program youth, Housing Mobility Demonstration |
| 10 | Residency | Families that "live, work, or who have been hired to work" in CMHA's area at the time of selection |
What it means: for most applicants the only preference within reach is residency, worth 10 points. The plan says CMHA "will select families from the waiting list by lottery" and "will randomly select families from those with the highest preference points."
Source: CMHA HCV Administrative Plan, sections 4-III.B and 4-III.C.
Key pointThe plan does not say whether points from two preferences add together, and CMHA's page does not mention points at all. Extremely low income families can also be picked ahead of others when CMHA needs to meet the 75% federal target (section 4-III.C).
Odds are not published. For drawings elsewhere, see How Section 8 Lotteries Work.
What happens after you apply
After applying, the household waits for an email, and every later step runs on deadlines.
- At submissionan electronic notice that the application was accepted (plan section 4-I.D).
- While waitingkeep phone, email, mailing address, income and household members current in the portal. The plan asks for contact changes in writing (4-II.E).
- If selectedan email or text telling the family to log in and finish the online certification, with documents, by a stated deadline (4-III.D).
- Missing itemsdue within 10 business days of notice. No eligibility interview is required (4-III.E).
- Briefingmandatory. Missing two scheduled briefings without approval means denial (5-I.B).
- Voucher issuedright after the briefing, with 180 calendar days to find a unit (5-II.D, 5-II.E).
- At 18 months unselectedCMHA removes the application and the family must reapply (4-II.F).
What it means: a dead email address ends the application. The plan says that if the selection notice "is rejected, the family will be removed from the waiting list."
Source: CMHA HCV Administrative Plan, sections cited.
TipExtensions past 180 days are possible for a hospital stay or family emergency, a disability-related need, a unit of three or more bedrooms, or a good-faith search that came up empty. Ask in writing before the voucher expires (section 5-II.E).
What a CMHA voucher pays
CMHA sets its maximum subsidy, the payment standard, by ZIP code, and its Rent page does not post the schedule.
The Rent page says that from January 1, 2025 CMHA "is required to Implement Small Area Fair Market Rent Payment Standards", which vary by ZIP code. It offers a Rent Affordability Calculator instead of a table, so the county-wide HUD figure below is the nearest single benchmark.
View the data table
| Unit size | 90% of FMR | FY 2027 FMR | 110% of FMR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $832 | $924 | $1,016 |
| 1 bedroom | $945 | $1,050 | $1,155 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,147 | $1,274 | $1,401 |
| 3 bedrooms | $1,465 | $1,628 | $1,791 |
| 4 bedrooms | $1,580 | $1,756 | $1,932 |
What it means: this is HUD's metro benchmark and not CMHA's payment standard. CMHA's ZIP-based amounts can sit above or below it by address.
Source: HUD, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, row "Cuyahoga County"; the 90% and 110% columns are VoucherMatch's calculation.
- Rangestandards "are generally set between 90% and 110% of the applicable FMR, including approved exceptions" (24 CFR 982.503).
- Family share"approximately 30% of adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities."
- Cap at move-infor a new tenancy, the family's share "may not exceed 40% of its monthly adjusted income."
- Unit size"Single person families will be allocated one bedroom" (plan section 5-II.B).
County benchmarks across the state are in Ohio Section 8 Fair Market Rent Benchmarks by County, and other metros in what Section 8 pays for a two-bedroom in 2026.
Other waiting lists in the Cleveland, OH area
VoucherMatch tracks 3 Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists in the Cleveland, OH area. When checked in September 2026: 1 open, 2 closed. Every list tracked there, with phone numbers and status, is on the Cleveland, OH Section 8 page.
If the list closes before you apply
A list that is open today can close, and three things still work if this one has.
CMHA's plan says it "will generally keep its HCV waiting list open" but may close it, and promises at least 10 business days' public notice before any reopening (section 4-II.C).
- Check the trackersee which Section 8 waiting lists are open now. VoucherMatch rechecks every list it tracks and dates each entry.
- Get an alertsign up for the waiting list alert on the Cleveland, OH page, and VoucherMatch will email you when a list in the area opens.
- Apply elsewhere toobeing on several lists improves the odds, and no rule found in CMHA's plan limits how many lists a household joins. Is Section 8 Open Right Now? shows how to check any agency.
Already have a voucher?
Then you do not need a waiting list. Search apartments from landlords who accept vouchers on VoucherMatch.
Questions people ask about the CMHA Section 8 waiting list
Is the CMHA Section 8 waiting list open?
Yes, as of October 8, 2026. CMHA's page said it accepts preliminary applications year-round and that the list "will have no closing date."
Is the Cleveland Section 8 list a lottery?
Yes. CMHA's plan says it selects "by lottery", at random among applicants with the highest preference points, in repeated drawings.
How long is the wait?
No wait time is published. CMHA says a name "may come up within a few days, or it may take months", and an unselected application expires after 18 months.
Next step: set up an email account that will last, submit the preliminary application, and put the 18-month expiry date in a calendar.
Sources for this article (9)
- Housing Choice Voucher Applications page (cmha.net)
- online applicant portal (applications-cmha.securecafe.com)
- CMHA HCV Administrative Plan (cmha.net)
- Section 8 alert (consumer.ftc.gov)
- FY 2026 Section 8 income limits (huduser.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.353 (ecfr.gov)
- Rent page (cmha.net)
- FY 2027 Fair Market Rents (huduser.gov)
- 24 CFR 982.503 (ecfr.gov)
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