Waiting lists for Columbia-area public housing open for four days this week

The waiting lists for several public housing offerings in the Columbia area are opening this week for the first time in more than three years.

Residents have from 9 a.m. Tuesday to noon Friday to apply to be put on waiting lists for these four public housing components through the Columbia Housing Authority:

1. Public Housing Select, two-, three- and four-bedroom units only. To qualify for select housing, you must have been employed for at least 30 hours a week for at least one year or receive Social Security or disability income.

2. Public Housing Standard, four- and five-bedroom units only.

3. Eastover Housing, all bedroom sizes.

4. Cayce Housing Authority, all bedroom sizes.

All applicants must apply online at www.chasc.org. No paper applications, emails or faxes will be accepted. Assistance will be available at any Richland Library branch.

These are not waiting lists for housing choice vouchers, commonly known as Section 8 vouchers. When the Columbia Housing Authority opened up the Section 8 waiting list last summer, a record 15,412 people applied in less than two days.

More than 6,000 people already are on these waiting lists, according to Nancy Stoudenmire of the Columbia Housing Authority. There is no cap on the number of applicants who will be added to these waiting lists during this application period, Stoudenmire said.

Residents who live in public housing units pay rent based on 30 percent of their income, adjusted for family size.

This story was originally published March 19, 2017 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Waiting lists for Columbia-area public housing open for four days this week."