There is no official waiting list for low-income housing in San Diego. However, you can submit a request to the Housing Authority of the County of San Diego to see if you qualify.
San Diego’s low-income housing waiting list is a long one—and growing.
There are over 11,000 applicants on the wait list for one of the county’s 6,000-plus low-income housing spots every year. The wait list for affordable housing in most of the county’s cities is usually between two and three years.
The wait list has more than tripled in the last decade, from 14,0households in 20to 50,0households in 2017.
If you are in need of housing and on the county’s wait list, it can take years. According to a 2018 report by the National Low-Income Housing Council (NLIHC), the average wait time for a family to find affordable housing is 6.5 years in California. However, the average wait time for a family of four in California is 9.9 years.
The length of the wait list has increased more than twice as much as the overall population of San Diego.
In 2019, the wait list for low-income housing in San Diego County reached 11,300 households. The average wait time for applicants was approximately 6.5 years. In comparison, the average wait time for those applying to the lottery in 2019 was approximately 3 years.
The growth in the number of low-income households waiting for affordable housing has outstripped the growth in the number of households with lower incomes.
The waiting list for affordable housing in San Diego is long. A report by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition found that, in 2018, there were more than 10,000 households waiting for affordable housing in the county. Of those households, 65% were disabled, 39% were working but earning too little to afford housing, and 15% were parents with two or more children.
San Diego’s average wait time for affordable housing increased from about months in 20to more than three years in 2017.
The average wait time for low-income housing increased from about months in 20to more than three years in 2017. The wait time for Section 8 vouchers increased from about two years in 20to more than five years in 2017, while the wait time for privately-owned affordable housing increased from about six months in 20to more than eight years in 2017.
The average wait time is longer for the lowest income households, who experience an average wait of about five years.
If you are a low-income resident looking for affordable housing options in San Diego, you may be aware of the long wait times. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average wait time for an affordable apartment is about five years. The wait time is even longer for those who are looking for supportive housing.
The wait list is in part a byproduct of the rapidly growing city.
Currently, there are about 3,500 applications on the wait list for low-income housing managed by the county, according to the Housing Authority of the County of San Diego. The wait list is calculated using a formula that estimates how many low-income households are within a half mile of any available county-owned housing.
Conclusion
In San Diego County, there are two different waiting lists for low-income housing. One is called the “vacancy list” and the other is the “waiting list.” The county’s Department of Housing & Community Development keeps track of both lists and reports the number of applicants and the number of available units on each list.
Related Links
What is considered low-income in San Diego?How do I check my waiting list for San Diego Section 8?