What’s New with THA’s Waitlist
In September 2024, Tacoma Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners approved changes to how THA will operate our waitlist. The changes include:
Continuously Open
Starting on November 14, 2024, THA’s waitlists will remain open continuously. Households will be able to apply at any time by visiting THA’s new applicant portal.
Separate Waitlists for Vouchers and THA Units
Households can now apply to the voucher waitlist, unit waitlist, or both!
Separate Waitlist for Senior/Disabled Properties
Approximately one quarter of THA’s apartments are for seniors and people with disabilities. A separate waitlist for senior/disabled properties will help ensure households that may qualify as senior and/or disabled are selected for these properties.
- A senior household is one whose head, spouse, co-head, or sole member is 62 years of age or older.
- A disabled household is one whose head, spouse, co-head, or sole member is a person with disabilities, which is verified by collecting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or a Physician’s Certificate of Disability.
Senior/Disabled properties have 1-bedroom units. For larger senior/disabled families or for households that don’t have a preference whether they are in a senior/disabled property, we encourage you to apply for all THA waitlists, not just the senior/disabled property waitlist.
Monthly Waitlist Check-Ins
To ensure everyone on THA’s waitlist is still interested and willing to accept an offer of assistance, applicants on the waitlists must check in monthly on the Applicant Portal to “save my spot.”
On the first of each month, applicants will see a “Save My Spot” tile when they log in to the Applicant Portal. When confirming one’s desire to remain on the waitlist, applicants will be prompted to review their application and make any updates to their contact information like address, phone, and email, or household composition such as adding or removing members.
Applicants must complete the “Save My Spot” activity before the 25th of the month.
If an applicant does not save their spot, they will be removed from the waitlist. However, they can easily login into the portal and reapply.
Random Waitlist Pulls
In the past, THA would randomly select approximately 10% of waitlist applicants to be added to the waitlist. Anyone not selected would need to wait up to two years before receiving assistance.
Now, everyone who applies to a waitlist will be added to the waitlist. When vouchers or units become available, households will be randomly selected from the waitlist.