Denver Housing Authority Opens Voucher Lottery Sign-Up
DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Housing Authority opened up a two day sign-up period for its Housing Choice Voucher program. The Denver Housing Authority manages 6,732 vouchers, which provides financial rental assistance to those in need.
Last year, the lottery program had a record number of applicants at 26,0001 and organizers of the program expect even more this year.
"That says to our state… there's a need for housing. There's a critical need for housing," said Loretta Owens, the director of the Housing Choice Voucher program.
This is the tightest housing market that Owens has seen in her 20 years of working with the Housing Authority.
"The biggest problem is the number of people moving into the area that can afford to pay the higher rents, therefore the market that was available for our Housing Choice Voucher participants is dwindling," Owens told CBS4.
Tens of thousands of people will sign up for the lottery and in the next 12 months the Housing Authority estimates it will pull as many as 1,500 numbers, of which only a few hundred will actually end up with a voucher.
LINK: Denver Housing Authority
Angela is hoping she'll be one of them. Right now the single mother is living in an RV with her six children, ages 9 to 15, three of them are on the autism spectrum.
"How do six… a family of seven, really… sleep in here?" asked CBS4's Britt Moreno as Angela showed her the vehicle.
"It's pretty difficult, but we manage with what we have. I mean, I'm thankful we have this," Angela replied.
Angela says that this is the first time she and her kids have ever been homeless. She's been looking for a rental for a month without any luck, but she's hopeful she'll be able to find something soon.
"I'm a Christian. I believe that everything happens for a reason and if anything to make me a stronger woman for my children," Angela said.
Angela is among the thousands who have their hopes set on getting a voucher and a little relief in Colorado's tight housing market.
The lottery registration is open until midnight on Friday, September 25th, and it's all done online.
