LA officials to announce launch of wait list for Section 8 vouchers 

Mayor Eric Garcetti and housing officials are set to announce the opening of the wait list lottery for Section 8 housing vouchers in Los Angeles for the first time in five years Tuesday.

Online registration for the lottery will begin at 6 a.m. Oct. 17 and end at 5 p.m. Oct. 30. Very low-income individuals and families are eligible for the Section 8 program, which pays a portion of rent directly to landlords. It is the nation’s largest rental assistance program, with 2.1 million households receiving vouchers.

Nearly 188,000 people applied for 20,000 vouchers in 2017, the last time the wait list was open.

Applicants will be selected via random lottery. Doug Guthrie, chief executive and president of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times he is expecting more than 365,000 applicants for 30,000 vouchers this year.

More information about the lottery is available at hacla.org.