Friday, April 4, 2025

LA County Opens Housing Voucher Waiting List for Wildfire Victims

Priority given to 50 displaced families from Pacific Palisades, Eaton fires

The Los Angeles County Development Authority will open its Housing Choice Voucher waiting list Friday for individuals and families displaced by the January 2025 Eaton Fire.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. on April 4 at https://harp.lacda.org but will only remain open until 300 individuals/families apply and will close without notice, according to information issued by the Los Angeles County Development Authority officials.

The agency plans to prioritize up to 50 very low or extremely low-income households whose primary residences were rendered uninhabitable by the fires.

Selected individuals/families will be required to provide proof of residence in a fire impacted area and proof of displacement due to damage that has rendered the residence uninhabitable. Those who cannot provide such documentation and applicants not selected will be removed from the HCV waiting list.

To qualify for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, also known as Section 8, applicants must meet HUD’s definition of a family, satisfy citizenship or immigration requirements, fall within income limits, pass a criminal background check for adults 18 and over, and provide additional verification if requested.

Current income limits for the program range from $29,150 annually for a single person at the extremely low-income level (30% of median income) to $97,100 for a family of nine at the very low-income level (50% of median income).

The agency emphasized this special waiting list is exclusively for survivors of the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires. Those already on the HCV Program waiting list will still need to update their information by logging into https://harp.lacda.org and designate themselves as fire-affected survivors to be considered for the vouchers.

Los Angeles County Development Authority officials note that registration does not guarantee receiving one of the 50 HCVs, and applicants will be selected in accordance with established policies. Fire-affected survivors already on the standard waiting list will retain their original registration date if not selected for the special allocation.

Non-fire-affected individuals who register during this period will be removed from the waiting list once the fire relief effort is complete.

Assistance with online applications is available by calling (626) 586-1932 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free computer access and in-person assistance, including bilingual help in Spanish, is offered at Los Angeles County Development Authority offices in Alhambra and Palmdale Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.