A state agency closing its application process for housing vouchers isn’t uncommon, but it does speak to larger issues.
The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency will close its waiting list for Section 8 vouchers Monday due to demand for eligible housing exceeding the supply.
In a statement, the Housing Finance Agency says it helps about 10,100 families per month, but receives roughly 1,100 new requests for assistance in that time.
"Approximately 17,000 families are waiting for rental assistance," the statement reads. "For some, the wait has been nearly three years."
With the Housing Finance Agency closing its applications, Tulsa Housing Authority will be the lone public agency for Tulsans to submit applications for housing vouchers. City Councilor Lori Decter Wright encouraged anyone who needs a Section 8 voucher to reach out to Tulsa Housing Authority for assistance.
Tulsa Housing Solutions Director Becky Gligo said though this is common for state housing agencies throughout the country, it still speaks to a housing shortage locally. Gligo said a pause like this one gives them a chance to organize data and make sure people aren't waiting years for their applications to be fulfilled.
But Gligo also said the application pause indicates a housing crisis in Tulsa. A Housing Solutions study published in March said $245 million would need to be spent annually to create $12,900 new housing units in the city to meet demand.
Additionally, one in five Tulsans pay more than half their income on housing.
"We’re just seeing the gap between wages and what is available to rent grows stronger every day," Gligo said. "We have a huge affordable housing crisis."
Tulsa's Housing, Homelessness and Mental Health Task Force has recommended emergency temporary housing and priority housing placement for unhoused people in the city. In August, voters also approved funding for a $104 million housing initiative with the passage of the latest Improve Our Tulsa package.
While Decter Wright says Tulsa needs more housing, she also said that’s not an immediate solution.
"There’s market right now in the rental market, but we just need to get these landlords to partner with the Tulsa Housing Authority to get on the inspections list to get approved and moved through," she said.
