Tampa Housing Authority is accepting applications for subsidized two-bedroom units through Friday.
Through the agency’s project-based rental assistance program, qualifying residents pay 30 percent of their adjusted income toward rent at participating locations.
Eligibility is based on household makeup and income requirements, which are capped at 80 percent of the area’s median income. Residents can apply online through the housing agency's website.
Unlike the more popular Section 8 housing vouchers, project-based vouchers are not portable or transferable in the private rental market.
Margaret Jones, the director of assisted housing at the agency, said the waitlist for project-based vouchers currently sits at around 300 applicants.
“We pull from these waitlists when there’s availability at the properties, and we have over 30 properties that may request pulls from this waitlist,” she said.
Jones said the number of available units is set to grow with two new properties opening in 2024.
She also indicated that the waitlist for Section 8 vouchers may reopen soon as well. It hasn't been opened since October of 2021.
"We opened up the waitlist for one week...we received over 18,000 applications for that one week, which was tremendous," she said.
From that pool of applicants, she said a lottery system selected 3,000 residents. That waitlist is now down to roughly 800 people.
While the need for affordable housing in Tampa is growing, Jones said cooling rent costs and growing landlord participation could mean more relief for renters in the coming year.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. She's also a Report for America corps member. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
