The City of Amarillo Housing Authority administers the Housing Choice Voucher Program, funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

It assists very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled in affording decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Participants choose their housing, and a housing subsidy, determined by family income, is paid to the landlord by the Amarillo Housing Authority.

Click here to check your Housing Wait List Status. 

Amarillo Housing Authority manages a limited number of Housing Choice Vouchers each year based on its federal allocation. The agency maintains a "Wait List" through a lottery system. Currently processing vouchers for households in the 2022 wait list.

Future Wait List Opportunities

Keep an eye out for a Public Notice when the wait list is preparing to open again. Information will be posted in the local newspaper, on the City of Amarillo’s social media platforms, and through a press release.

To be eligible, families must meet income limits. Providing accurate information during the application process is crucial for successful enrollment.

Income limits

• 1 Person Family: $28,600
• 2 Person Family: $32,700
• 3 Person Family: $36,800
• 4 Person Family: $40,850
• 5 Person Family: $44,150
• 6 Person Family: $47,400
• 7 Person Family: $50,700
• 8 Person Family: $53,950

All information provided by the applicant must be complete, true, and correct. False claims can result in denial of the application and program ineligibility.

When a household reaches the top of the Waitlist, they receive notification letters and are required to attend an in-person meeting with a Housing Case Worker.

Verification includes:

• income
• childcare
• medical expenses
• background checks

Criminal history may result in denial.

Once verifications are received and the background is clear, the household attends an orientation class. A voucher is issued, providing 60 days to find a suitable unit and submit a Request for Lease Approval.

The Housing Authority processes the request for lease approval and schedules an inspection of the unit.

The applicant chooses housing within Amarillo city limits, meeting minimum standards for decent, safe, and sanitary housing. Compliance is determined by a Housing Authority inspection.

Listings are available at GoSection8.com. Considerations include the unit's condition, rent, utilities, and location.

A lease cannot be signed before the unit is approved and inspected. Signing early requires the tenant to pay the full rent until clearance is given by the Housing Authority.

Both the applicant and the property owner must sign a lease, specifying details such as names, address, term, renewal, appliances, and utilities. The initial lease term must be at least one year.

The earliest the lease can take effect is AFTER the unit passes inspection and the leases are signed.

HUD determines a payment standard used to calculate housing assistance. Families pay 30% of their monthly adjusted gross income for rent and utilities. The Housing Authority pays the difference directly to the owner.

Families may not pay more than 40% of their monthly adjusted gross income for rent initially when the unit rent is greater than the payment standard.

Rental assistance adjusts with changes in the family’s income. Report income changes within 10 days.

"Porting assistance" refers to the process of transferring a participant's Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance from one housing authority jurisdiction to another. This allows individuals or families to move to a new location while retaining their housing subsidy.