Application Process and Wait Lists

The ACOH manages waiting lists for each of our voucher programs. These lists establish the order in which vouchers are issued to qualified applicants.

Currently, the HCV waiting list is closed. Notices will be posted through a variety of media outlets when it reopens.

How Does the Application Work?

Once the ACOH opens our waiting list to new applicants, individuals and families interested in receiving voucher assistance complete and submit an application online through our Resident Portal. More information about how to set up a Resident Portal account, and what types of information applicants will need to apply for assistance will be posted here the next time our waiting list opens.

The ACOH selects new applicants for our waiting lists through a lottery system. All applications submitted are randomly selected for a spot on a waiting list. The number of available spaces on our waiting lists will be announced the next time the waiting lists open. Applicants selected for the waiting list are then scored based on local preferences. The more preferences an applicant meets, the higher they are ranked on the waiting list. ACOH’s local preferences include:

• Homelessness Preference: applicants who are experiencing homelessness or who have previously experienced homelessness. Applicants meeting this preference must be referred to the ACOH by the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless (BRACH).
• Live/Work Preference: Applicants who live or work in Albemarle County, or have been hired to work in Albemarle County at the time of application.
• Veteran’s Preference: This preference is available to current members of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans who were discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable, and surviving spouses of veterans.
• Disability Preference: This preference is extended to disabled persons or families with a disabled member as defined in ACOH Administrative plan.
• Victims of Domestic Violence: To be eligible for this preference, applicant families must include victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Applicants must either be referred to the ACOH by a partnering service agency, or they must be seeking an emergency transfer under VAWA from other covered housing programs operated by this PHA.

For Families Currently on Our Waiting Lists

Once you have been selected for a waiting list, you are responsible for notifying the ACOH of any change in your address, telephone number or email address, or changes in the size of your family. It can take several years to move to the top of the waiting list, and the ACOH needs updated contact information to let you know when a voucher is available for you.

If you have questions about the Waiting List, please call (434) 972-4011 ext. 3107 to leave a voicemail on our Waiting List line, and we will return your call within two business days. We do not return calls about someone's position on the Waiting List.