Minnesota Section 8 Waiting List: Lottery, Preferences, and Openings

Getting on the Minnesota Section 8 waiting list means watching for one of the brief application windows that each local housing agency opens every few years, submitting during that window, and then being selected in a lottery for a numbered spot on the list. There is no single statewide list. Each Public Housing Agency runs its own, and most stay closed the majority of the time. The Metropolitan Council HRA, which serves Anoka, Carver, and parts of Hennepin and Ramsey counties, is the state’s largest voucher program with over 7,200 households, and demand still far outstrips supply.¹

When the Lists Open and How the Lottery Works

Most Minnesota agencies do not accept Section 8 applications on a rolling basis. They open their waiting lists for brief periods, sometimes only two or three days, then close them again. The Metro HRA’s 2025 lottery was its first opening since June 2022, which gives you a realistic sense of how infrequently these windows appear.² The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and the St. Paul PHA each run separate lists on their own timelines.³

Rather than rewarding whoever clicks fastest, agencies typically run a lottery. Every application submitted during the open window gets an equal shot at being placed on the final list. The Metro HRA notes that far more people enter the lottery than are selected for the waitlist.² Being selected in the lottery does not mean you get a voucher. It means you’ve earned a numbered spot in line, and the actual wait from that point can stretch two or more years depending on funding and turnover.

HousingLink tracks which Minnesota lists are currently open, and individual agency websites post their own announcements. Check both regularly if you’re waiting for a window.

Who Qualifies

Federal regulations set the baseline. Your household’s total annual gross income cannot exceed 50 percent of the Area Median Income for the county where you plan to live.⁴ These limits change every year and vary significantly between metro and rural counties. HUD publishes updated figures annually, and local PHAs post the limits that apply to their service area.

In practice, the income bar is lower than that for most new admissions. Federal law requires that at least 75 percent of families admitted each year have incomes at or below 30 percent of AMI, which HUD calls “extremely low income.” A household earning between 30 and 50 percent of AMI is technically eligible, but the odds of selection are considerably smaller.

Every household member must be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status.⁴ Agencies also screen criminal history. Federal rules require PHAs to deny admission if any household member has a lifetime sex offender registration requirement or was evicted from federally assisted housing for drug activity within the past three years. Beyond those mandatory denials, agencies have discretion to reject applicants based on other drug-related, violent, or threatening criminal activity within a reasonable lookback period they define in their own administrative plans.⁵

Protections for Survivors of Abuse

If you’ve experienced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, the Violence Against Women Act provides specific protections. A PHA cannot deny your application solely because of abuse committed against you, even if the abuse led to an eviction record, a criminal history, or damaged credit. You have the right to self-certify your status using HUD Form 5382 without additional documentation unless the agency has genuinely conflicting information. All information about your survivor status must be kept confidential.⁶

Documents To Gather Before an Opening

Waiting list windows are short. You don’t want to spend one hunting for paperwork. Gather these for every person who will live in the household:

Photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport, Social Security cards, and birth certificates for each household member. The head of household must have a valid Social Security number.⁷
Proof of citizenship or immigration status: U.S. passport, birth certificate, or immigration documentation such as a permanent resident card.
Income records: two recent consecutive pay stubs, benefit award letters for Social Security, SSI, SSDI, TANF, unemployment, or child support, and bank statements showing assets.⁸
Current housing information: your lease, landlord contact information, and details about your current situation, especially if you are experiencing homelessness or living in substandard conditions.

The initial pre-application may only ask for basic information like names, income estimates, and household size. Full documentation comes later when the agency pulls your name from the list. Having everything ready prevents delays that can cost you your spot once you’re called.

How To Apply When a Window Opens

Applications in Minnesota are overwhelmingly online. The Metro HRA uses WaitlistCheck.com, where applicants create an account, enter household information, and submit during the open window.² The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority runs its applications through a RentCafé portal, which requires a valid email address and a full Social Security number to register.⁹ A few agencies still accept paper applications by mail, but the public notice for each opening will specify which methods are accepted.

Save your confirmation number when you submit. It’s your proof that the agency received your application before the deadline. Results take time. The MPHA emails all applicants after its lottery to inform them of their updated status.⁹ Some agencies take weeks or months to finalize results, so don’t assume silence means rejection.

Apply to every agency whose jurisdiction covers where you live or want to live. Because each PHA maintains its own list, applying to the Metro HRA does not put you on the Minneapolis or St. Paul lists. Applying everywhere you’re eligible is one of the few ways you can meaningfully improve your odds.

Preferences That Can Move You Up

Where you land on the list depends partly on whether you qualify for local preferences the agency uses to prioritize applicants. These vary by agency, but common ones in Minnesota include:

Residency or employment within the PHA’s service area. The St. Paul PHA, for example, gives preference to households where the head of household, co-head, or spouse lives or works in Saint Paul, or where a household member attends school there.¹⁰
Homelessness. The St. Paul PHA verifies this through a metro area Continuum of Care assessment or documented shelter stay preceding the application.¹⁰
Veteran status, though the specific weight varies by agency.
Elderly or disabled status. Some agencies maintain separate preference categories for these households.

Claiming a preference you don’t qualify for will not speed things up. Agencies verify every preference claim with documentation before finalizing placement. If verification fails, you lose the preference and may be moved down or removed.

Staying on the List Once You’re On It

Getting on the list is only half the battle. PHAs run periodic purges, sending notices to everyone asking them to confirm they still want assistance. If you don’t respond within the deadline, the agency removes you, typically without a second chance. Losing your spot over a missed letter after a wait that can last years is devastating, and agencies see it constantly.

Report changes proactively. If you move, change your phone number, update your email, or have a significant change in household income or composition, contact the agency immediately. The number one reason people get purged is that the agency’s notice went to an old address. Set a calendar reminder to log into your agency’s portal at least once a month. The MPHA portal lets you check and update your waitlist status and information online.¹¹ The Metro HRA uses WaitlistCheck.com for the same purpose.²

What Happens When Your Name Comes Up

When the agency reaches your position, they will contact you to begin the full eligibility determination. This is where the documents you gathered become critical. The agency will verify your income, household composition, citizenship or immigration status, and criminal history. Expect to attend an in-person or virtual briefing where the agency explains the program rules, your responsibilities, and how to search for housing.

Once you pass the eligibility screening, the PHA issues a voucher with a set expiration period, usually 60 to 120 days, during which you must find a landlord willing to participate. The unit must pass a Housing Quality Standards inspection before the agency approves it. Some agencies allow extensions if you cannot secure a unit in time, but the voucher can expire.

Your portion of the rent is generally calculated at roughly 30 percent of your adjusted monthly income. The voucher covers the difference between your share and the PHA’s payment standard for your unit size, up to a cap. If you choose a unit with rent above the payment standard, you pay the excess, though federal rules limit how much of your income can go toward total housing costs. The briefing will walk you through the specific numbers for your household.

If a Project-Based List Opens First

The standard voucher is tenant-based: it travels with you to any qualifying rental. Project-based vouchers are different. They are attached to specific apartment buildings, and the subsidy applies only while you live in that property. Each type has its own separate waiting list, and project-based lists sometimes move faster because they are less well-known. After living in a project-based unit for at least one year, you can request a tenant-based voucher to move with continued assistance. If one is not immediately available, the PHA must give you priority for the next voucher that opens.¹² For families who need housing now and flexibility later, a project-based list can be a legitimate path onto the broader voucher program.

If You’re Denied

If a PHA denies your application, it must notify you in writing and explain the reason. Common grounds include income exceeding the limits, a household member’s criminal history (particularly drug manufacturing on federally assisted property or a lifetime sex offender registration), failure to provide required documentation, or owing a debt to another PHA.⁵

You have the right to challenge a denial through an informal review. You must submit a written request within the deadline stated in the notice, which varies by agency but is typically 10 to 15 calendar days. Someone not involved in the original decision conducts the review. You can present evidence, bring witnesses, and explain your side. If the denial was based on criminal history, this hearing is your chance to present evidence of rehabilitation, changed circumstances, or errors in the background check. For discretionary criminal screening beyond the mandatory categories, the hearing officer has room to weigh context a database check cannot capture.

VAWA protections also apply at this stage. If your denial relates to an eviction, criminal record, or credit damage caused by domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, you can self-certify as a survivor and the agency must reconsider the decision with that context in mind.⁶

1
Metropolitan Council. Metro HRA Rental Assistance
2
Metropolitan Council. Waiting List and Applications
3
St. Paul Public Housing Agency. Section 8
4
eCFR. 24 CFR 982.201 – Eligibility and Targeting
5
eCFR. 24 CFR 982.553 – Denial of Admission and Termination of Assistance for Criminals and Alcohol Abusers
6
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
7
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Housing Choice Voucher Tenants
8
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Common Documents for Public Housing and HCV Applicants
9
Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. Housing for Families
10
Saint Paul Minnesota. Saint Paul PHA Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List Opens November 13
11
Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. Minneapolis Public Housing Authority
12
HUD Exchange. Project-Based Voucher Tenant Rights