Section 8 Housing in St. Louis, MO

Three main housing authorities run Section 8 in the St. Louis metro, and as of mid-2026 all three voucher waitlists are closed. The St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) covers the City of St. Louis. Its Housing Choice Voucher list is closed and not accepting applications until further notice. The HCV waitlist is currently closed and not accepting applications until further notice. SLHA last opened that list back in 2014. St. Louis Housing Authority's Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) waiting list was last opened on July 14, 2014 and closed on July 18, 2014. The Housing Authority of St. Louis County (branded "County Housing") covers the suburbs. The Housing Authority of St. Louis County (HASLC) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. Applications were last accepted from March 2, 2020 at 9:00 am, until March 6, 2020 at 12:00 pm CT. Across the river in Illinois, the East St. Louis authority has its public housing list open but its voucher list closed. Currently, the Public Housing waitlist is open for applications. The HCV waitlist is closed. Both Missouri authorities take applications only through the RentCafe online portal when a list opens. Apply to multiple PHAs, and never pay a fee. It is against HUD policy for an agency to charge for a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher application. If anyone is charging a fee for an application, they are either violating federal law, or a scammer with an empty promise. Do not pay for an application.

Expect a long wait. Households spend an average of 39 months on a waiting list before receiving a voucher in St Louis. Demand dwarfs supply. When SLHA last opened its voucher list in 2014, it drew more than 27,000 applicants. St. Louis Housing Authority's Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) waiting list was last opened on July 14, 2014 and closed on July 18, 2014. SLHA is a large agency. St. Louis Housing Authority provides affordable housing for up to 10,728 low- and moderate-income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs. St. Louis Housing Authority serves 8,194 low-income households. The agency manages 7,380 Housing Choice Vouchers and 2,217 public housing units. County Housing is comparable in size. County Housing provides rental assistance to more than 7,000 low-income households in St. Louis County. Because openings are rare and brief, watch the PHA websites closely. County Housing promises advance notice. When the waitlist reopens for public housing and/or the HCV program, we will post here on our website, through social media channels and partner agencies, and in the newspaper 30 days in advance. If you already hold a voucher, note the clock: The voucher expires after 120 days if a family does not select a unit.

Start with the administrator named on your voucher: SLHA and County Housing are separate agencies. Ask for the current applicable payment-standard amount, effective date and bedroom size before evaluating a proposed rent. A HUD FMR or ZIP benchmark does not by itself supply that answer.

Use SLHA's landlord resources or County Housing's HCV program for tenancy instructions. SLHA's 2026 utility document contains different building and development sheets; confirm the appropriate HCV worksheet and tenant-paid services. Assistance and your share depend on gross rent, the adopted standard and the household calculation. Compare St. Louis apartments with those inputs recorded.

Missouri's Section 441.043, effective August 28, 2025, bars local governments from enforcing ordinances that prohibit refusal because rent is paid with housing assistance. Older accounts of St. Louis city or Clayton voucher protections should not be treated as the current rule for ordinary private rentals. The statute includes exceptions, and other fair-housing duties may still apply. Save a rejection and ask a qualified housing advocate to assess the property and circumstances.

Voucher use in the region is heavily concentrated. There are 13,060 housing vouchers in use in St. Louis City and County. Most cluster in North County and North City. 42% of vouchers are used in five municipalities in North Saint Louis County: Florissant, Ferguson, Spanish Lake, Jennings, and Bellefontaine Neighbors. Wealthier suburbs have almost none. The largest municipalities that do not have any households that use vouchers are Wildwood, Clayton, Town and Country, Ladue, and Brentwood. Only 9.2% of voucher holders live in census tracts considered High Opportunity Areas. If you want to move to a higher-opportunity area, there is a mobility program to help. AscendSTL is a housing counseling program, now housed at the Housing Authority of Saint Louis County, that seeks to place families with vouchers in High Opportunity Areas. For listings, County Housing points tenants to specific search tools. If you find a home on a site other than AffordableHousing.com or the MHDC Affordable Housing Locator, you should reach out to the property owner and verify that they will accept a Housing Choice Voucher.

If a landlord discriminates, harasses you, or you face eviction, get help fast. For discrimination, contact the fair housing council. If you believe you have been discriminated against in housing based on your voucher, the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council (EHOC) can help. To reach EHOC, you can call 1-800-555-3951 or 314-534-5800, file a complaint at EHOCSTL.org. For a city discrimination complaint, the Civil Rights Enforcement Agency investigates. CREA St. Louis Civil Rights Enforcement Agency monitors and investigates fair housing, equal employment and public accommodation complaints. For legal representation, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri is the main free provider. In addition to providing legal representation, we hold workshops and presentations on tenant rights, subsidized housing, and fair housing issues. St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Jefferson County and St. Charles County. City renters facing eviction have a right to counsel. City Ordinance 71694, also known as Board Bill #59, created the Right To Counsel legislation, enacted to ensure access to legal representation for City of St. Louis tenants facing eviction. The project named Housing Eviction Law Program (HELP STL City) was started in August of 2024. The City of St. Louis has entered into a contract with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM).