Find Harris County Housing Authority waiting-list help, voucher contacts and move instructions. HCHA is separate from Houston Housing Authority, now branded Housing Alliance HTX.
Vouchers and property applications
Applications and waiting lists at HCHA
Does this agency serve your area?
HCHA administers its own Harris County voucher program. A Houston mailing address does not mean Housing Alliance HTX is your agency. Give HCHA the exact rental address before asking it to receive a transferred voucher.
Check the list for the program you want. Joining a waiting list does not mean a home or voucher is available now.
Closed at last check
HCHA tenant-based HCV waiting list
Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA) · HCHA tenant-based HCV waiting list
HCV list is closed; it last opened October 31-November 2, 2016 and HCHA says it has no anticipated date for contacting applicants from that list. If you did not register in 2016 you can only qualify through one of three local preferences. Applicants check status at waitlistcheck.com, and all waitlist questions go to waitlist@hchatexas.org. HCHA serves Harris County areas outside Houston city limits.
Use the dated HCV notice for this agency. A private rental is considered after issuance and agency approval. A property application does not join this list.
Read the HCHA HCV notice before looking for a new application. The waiting-list page primarily explains existing records in WaitlistCheck and AssistanceCheck; those services are not new voucher applications. Confirm the named program and property separately; a general portal does not establish an opening.
These statuses reflect the dates checked above. Being able to create an account does not mean applications are open.
Help beyond the main voucher list
Local housing help and notices
These programs have separate rules and contacts. They do not open the housing authority’s main voucher list.
Source checked
Recover an HCHA waiting-list record
HCHA directs Active applicants to use the confirmation PIN for AssistanceCheck after checking WaitlistCheck. It says difficulty signing in alone does not change a place on its 2016 list. Ask the dedicated waiting-list team to check the actual record.
Confirm the current rules: The FAQ refers to the 2008 list while this page describes the 2016 list. Confirm your own confirmation and program with HCHA; do not use an old year to decide whether you are on a list.
Read the HCHA HCV notice before looking for a new application. The waiting-list page primarily explains existing records in WaitlistCheck and AssistanceCheck; those services are not new voucher applications.
Confirm the agency and exact list using the dated notice above.
Follow the official program instructions and recover an existing account if you already applied.
Submit only to an available list and save its confirmation; a registration or saved draft alone is not submission.
Keep contact information current and respond to the agency’s own requests before the stated deadlines.
VoucherMatch does not accept housing applications, hold a waiting list or charge to place you on an agency list. Send application documents only through the agency’s verified process.
Choose your next step with Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA)
HCHA administers its own Harris County voucher program. A Houston mailing address does not mean Housing Alliance HTX is your agency. Give HCHA the exact rental address before asking it to receive a transferred voucher.
Guidance review date: . Waiting-list status has its own check date above.
Check an existing application
First check Active or Inactive status in WaitlistCheck. Active applicants use the PIN on their original confirmation to register for AssistanceCheck. HCHA directs missing-record or login questions to the dedicated waiting-list email on its official page.
Use HCHA’s participant forms for income changes, household additions or removals, and move requests. Contact your case manager through the official contact page when the required form or submission method is unclear.
The initial authority must send HCHA the portability packet. HCHA’s instructions require at least 60 days remaining on the voucher and an entrance interview and briefing. Confirm the current requirements before setting a move date.
Confirm the administering agency with the household, then obtain its owner and tenancy forms. A published payment standard does not approve the asking rent or the household’s share. Ask the agency about inspection and contract steps before setting a move-in date.
Compare the adopted agency documents and keep HUD benchmarks separate.
Keep an application checklist
Use this to get ready, then follow the agency’s document requirements. Checkmarks stay on this page only and clear when you reload.
A short script for your follow-up call
“I applied for [program or property] on [date]. My confirmation number is [number]. How do I check my application, update my contact details and find out if you need anything else?”
If you already have a voucher, give its expiration date and ask what you need to do before then. Send identity documents only through the agency’s official process.
Rent and utilities
Which rent documents apply to your HCHA case?
HCHA’s current forms page still links a document labeled 2025 Payment Standards plus separate single-family, apartment and duplex utility allowances. That label does not establish the schedule for a new 2026 tenancy. Ask HCHA which edition applies and request the household’s rent estimator; do not substitute Housing Alliance HTX’s ZIP schedule.
HCHA rent-document checklist · reviewed October 16, 2026
Check
What to use
Before budgeting
Listed payment standard
Forms page labels it 2025
Confirm the edition for your tenancy
Utility allowance
Single family, apartment or duplex
Match home type and paid services
Rent estimator
Ask HCHA for the household calculation
It is not simply the landlord’s asking rent
This is a document-selection checklist, not a rent quote or subsidy calculation. The agency must confirm rent reasonableness, the utility allowance and your household’s contribution.
Start with your program name and the notice or confirmation you received. Keep a copy of any request and the agency’s response.
A missing application or login problem
First check Active or Inactive status in WaitlistCheck. Active applicants use the PIN on their original confirmation to register for AssistanceCheck. HCHA directs missing-record or login questions to the dedicated waiting-list email on its official page.
The initial authority must send HCHA the portability packet. HCHA’s instructions require at least 60 days remaining on the voucher and an entrance interview and briefing. Confirm the current requirements before setting a move date.
Read the notice promptly. Ask the named department how to request the available review or hearing and when the request is due. Keep the notice and proof of your response; the deadline depends on the particular decision.
HCHA offers help viewing or completing forms and may provide large print, other languages, readers or interpreters. Call the main number and explain the access barrier. Do not treat a login problem as proof that your application was removed.
HCHA lists appointments and document drop-off Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays are for document drop-off only. Its waiting-list team asks applicants to use the dedicated waiting-list contact rather than visiting the office to expedite a query.
To qualify for a Housing Choice Voucher, a household's gross annual income generally has to be at or below the very low income limit for its size. In Harris County that is $52,000 a year for a family of four, about $4,330 a month before taxes. HUD's area median family income here is $104,000.
Household size
Extremely low
Very low (50%)
Low (80%)
1 person
$21,850
$36,400
$58,250
2 people
$25,000
$41,600
$66,600
3 people
$28,100
$46,800
$74,900
4 people
$33,000
$52,000
$83,200
5 people
$38,680
$56,200
$89,900
6 people
$44,360
$60,350
$96,550
7 people
$50,040
$64,500
$103,200
8 people
$55,720
$68,650
$109,850
Which column applies to you. The middle column is the eligibility line for most applicants (24 CFR 982.201). The low income column only applies in special cases, such as families already receiving federal housing assistance. Federal rules generally require at least 75% of admissions from the waiting list each year to be extremely low income families. This does not predict selection or waiting time. For a family of four here, that threshold is $33,000 or less.
Income is counted before taxes and covers the whole household. The housing authority verifies it when your name is reached on the waiting list, so what counts is your income at that point. Being under the income limit is only one part of eligibility and does not guarantee admission.
Source: HUD FY2026 Section 8 Income Limits for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area, huduser.gov.
HUD rent benchmarks in Harris County
HUD rent benchmarks for FY2027, effective October 1, 2026. These are not adopted housing-authority payment standards or household subsidy amounts. The illustration shows 90% to 110% of FMR; ZIP-based schedules, approved exceptions and Moving to Work rules can differ.
Bedrooms
FMR
Illustration: 90% to 110% of FMR
Efficiency (studio)
$1,233
$1,110 to $1,356
1-bedroom
$1,261
$1,135 to $1,387
2-bedroom
$1,497
$1,347 to $1,647
3-bedroom
$2,017
$1,815 to $2,219
4-bedroom
$2,502
$2,252 to $2,752
The two-bedroom HUD benchmark for Harris County is $1,497. Multiplying by 90% and 110% gives $1,347 to $1,647, not an approval range. Gross rent includes the applicable allowance for tenant-paid utilities. Your agency must calculate assistance using its adopted standard, your household and the proposed unit.
Why do HCHA pages mention different lottery years?
The FAQ refers to 2008 while the waiting-list help page discusses the 2016 list. Use your actual confirmation and ask the waiting-list team to check your record; neither old year proves a new opening.
Prepared by the VoucherMatch editorial team. Source review date: . Each waiting list has its own check date.
This guide draws on agency notices, contact pages and rent schedules, with AI assistance to extract and compare information. Unconfirmed openings, amounts and source limitations are identified in the relevant sections. About VoucherMatch.
What changed: Added program-specific notices, application recovery, agency coverage, adopted-rent document routing and local help. Unverified openings and older schedules remain explicitly uncertain.
Program counts come from HUD’s directory; contact details use the dated agency sources above. HUD agency code TX441. Call ahead before you visit: offices move and hours change.