How to sign up for senior low income housing

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles operates one city-wide waiting list for all 14 sites. Placement on the Public Housing Program waiting list is based on date/time of the application and family eligibility status.

Local Preferences

Applicant families who qualify for a local preference shall have priority for admission. In accordance with the Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP), local preferences shall be given to applicant families whose head or co-head is:

Please note: Priority among each preference shall be given to families of veterans or servicemen of the US Armed Forces.

1. Working at least 20 hours per week at the State's minimum wage and has been employed for a minimum of 6 months prior to the determination of eligibility; or
2. Attending one or more accredited institutions of higher learning (college, trade school, vocational school) the equivalent of full-time (fulltime is defined by the policies or guidelines of the learning institution), and the course of study is expected to lead to employment; or
3. Working and attending one or more accredited institutions of higher learning, and the combined total is at least 20 hours per week; or
4. Otherwise equally income self-sufficient; or
5. An active member in or veteran of a United States military service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp, or Coast Guard); or
6. Disabled or age 62 years of age and older.

Please note: Priority among each preference shall be given to families of veterans or service members of the US Armed Forces (regardless of application date).

Occupancy Standard

Unit sizes are assigned based on family size alone, not family composition. Below is the current Occupancy Standard. Families who may be eligible for two different bedrooms sizes can chose which bedroom size they would like to be considered for.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

Once an applicant is selected for an initial interview, the following information will be verified to determine eligibility to the program:

1. The Applicant and Co-Applicant must be 18 years old or older.
2. All adult members of the household must pass a criminal background check.
3. At least one member of the household must have eligible immigration status at the time of applying. The rent for families with “mixed” status (eligible and non-eligible members) will exceed 30% of the adjusted monthly income due to the proration requirement as non-eligible members are not able to receive housing subsidy.
4. Total household annual income must not exceed the minimum income limit established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Annual income is the applicant family’s total income before any deductions.

Effective May 01, 2022 the following income limits shall apply:

During the interview, you will be ask for the following documents:

1. Identification cards – driver license, birth certificates, Social Security Card, INS documents (if applicable)
2. Financial records – copies of pay stubs, W-2s, bank records
3. Verification of preference eligibility

Unit Offers

Placement on the Public Housing Program waiting list is based on the date/time of the application qualifying preference. The HACLA uses one wait list for all 14 developments managed by the Housing Services Department - there are no site-based waitlist. Applicants are not able to sign up for or request a particular development. Upon verification of eligibility and pending available vacancies of the appropriate bedroom size, applicants will be provided up to three offers of units at three different sites. Offers are generated at random based upon the vacancies ready for occupancy at the time of the offer. Applicants will have five (5) business days to respond to an offer. If an applicant refuses all three offers, they will be removed from the wait list.  Once removed from the wait list, they can reapply if they wish and will be assigned a new place on the list. 

To learn more about the Public Housing Program and our portfolio

Main Reasons Applications are Rejected

Below are some of the reasons applicants are removed from the waitlist;

1. Failure to respond
2. Failure to provide necessary documentation
3. Falsifying information 
4. Rejecting the sites (3) that you are offered
5. Total annual income before deductions exceeds the income limit set forth by HUD

How to Apply

To apply for the Public Housing Program online you must register for a RentCafe account with a valid email address. If you do not have an email address, you can establish an account with Yahoo!, Gmail or another email service provider of your choice.  Once you have an email address, click on the link below to create an account with RentCafe. 

Click here to apply online.

Upon submission of your online application, you will be provided with a Registration Code.  Please keep this code at hand.  You may need to reference this information if you need to access your Application at a later time. 

You can also request a copy of the Application for Public Housing via email  or by calling the HACLA Customer Contact Center at (833) 422-5248.

A designated Head of Household on the application must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application – or if younger than 18 years old, have proof of minor status removed by court order or marriage.

Head of Household and Co-head of Household designation – A household cannot change who is the head or co-head once the family has been certified and has signed a lease. While a family can add members following admission to the public housing program, they cannot add “co-heads” once they have been admitted.

A public housing unit cannot be “passed-on” to family members. If the remaining Head or Co-Head of the household chooses to exit the program, the unit cannot be “assigned” or passed on to remaining family members. A public housing unit is not an inheritable right.

How to Update an Application

To update your application, you must log back into your RentCafe account using your login information and the Registration Code provided to you when you applied.   You can make changes to your family composition, income and/or preference at any time before your initial interview.

Click here to update your online application.

You can also update your Application via email .

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