HCV Wait List

The Arlington Housing Choice Voucher Program (AHCVP) waiting list for tenant-based vouchers is currently closed; however, we continue to deploy a variety of vouchers types throughout the community. Waiting lists may open for one or more of housing choice voucher subsidies over an estimated course of five-years or more.

Effective July 1, 2019, the AHCVP eliminated the “first-come, first-served” application acceptance process. The AHCVP has adopted a lottery system for new applications submitted for a waiting list consideration. Applications submitted will be randomly selected via the online application system for a ranked position on the Waiting List. Applicants will be contacted and informed if their application was selected or not selected through the lottery process.  It is important that the applicant review the federally established  eligibility criteria for each AHCVP waiting list opening.  Applications will be determined ineligible and removed if you do not meet, and demonstrate, all federally required eligibility criteria.

If you previously applied to the AHCVP waiting list in 2012, please see the “How can I verify if I’m on the AHCVP waiting list” FAQ below.

Yes, there is a County-funded program that provides a monthly housing grant to eligible households. For answers to commonly asked questions about the Housing Grants Program, click here.

If you originally applied for the AHCVP in 2012 and believe you are still on that waiting list, you can contact the Department of Human Services, Customer Service Department at 703-228-1450 to verify your name is still active on the waiting list. Remember, the office will not be able to predict how long it will take for your name to reach the top of the waiting list.

If you apply through the myhousingbenefits online portal you will automatically receive an email confirmation of your application submission. Once all applications have been selected through the randomized lottery system, a secondary notification will notify you if your application was selected or was not selected to be included on the AHCVP waiting list.

The Arlington County Housing Choice Voucher Program cannot confirm your placement number on the waiting list. Reaching the top of the waiting list depends on the availability of vouchers, when you applied for the program and any selection preferences you may have indicated on your application. When your name reaches the top of the waiting list, you will be contacted by mail and/or via your online myhousingbenefits email account for an eligibility interview.

For applicants that applied through open waiting lists via the myhousingbenefits online portal and were selected by the lottery process, you will be able to view your waiting list status using your registered account. Applicants must remember their email and password used to register during the application submission process.

The average wait for a voucher is approximately 5 years. There are many families and individuals who have applied for housing assistance and are on the waiting list for the Housing Choice Voucher tenant-based program. We cannot predict when your name will reach the top of the waiting list.

Please be sure to keep your contact information current with this office via the myhousingbenefits online portal. You can download the Waiting List Update Form and submit it to 2100 Washington Blvd, 3rd Floor, Arlington, VA 22204, Attn: Voucher Wait List. Your name may be removed from the wait list if this office does not have your current mailing address.

1. You will be contacted for an Applicant Eligibility Briefing. Again, it may take several years before your name is taken from the wait list.
   
   
2. Within 45 days of the eligibility briefing, you will be notified if you are eligible to receive a voucher.  If you are not eligible at that time, you may be placed back on the wait list or withdrawn from the wait list.
   
   
3. Once you have been issued a voucher, you must locate a unit within 120 days or your name will be withdrawn from the wait list.