New Orleans Section 8: Application, Waiting List, and Eligibility

You apply for Section 8 in New Orleans by submitting a pre-application through the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) online portal when the waiting list is open. As of early 2026, the list is closed and HANO has not announced a reopening date, so no new applications are being accepted right now.¹ The last opening was November 2022, when HANO received more than 10,500 pre-applications and placed the top 12,500 lottery numbers on the waiting list. Openings are short and unpredictable, so the useful work you can do today is confirming you qualify, gathering documents, and setting up a way to hear about the next window the moment it’s announced.

Is the Waiting List Open Right Now

No. HANO’s Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed with no announced reopening date.¹ When the list does open, the window typically lasts only a few days to a couple of weeks. Check the HANO website and the My Housing applicant portal regularly, and call the HCVP hotline at (504) 670-3395 for status updates. When an announcement comes, expect heavy traffic on the online portal and submit your pre-application as early as you can during the open period.

How to Apply When the List Opens

Applications go through the My Housing online portal at hano.myhousing.com.² You create a user account with a valid email, enter basic household information including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and income, review your entries, and apply an electronic signature. The system then generates a confirmation number. Save it. That number is your only proof of a successful submission and you will need it for every future inquiry about your application.

Applying on the first day of the window gives you no advantage over applying on the last day. HANO does not use first-come, first-served ordering. After the window closes, every pre-application is assigned a random lottery number, and only the applications with the lowest numbers are placed on the waiting list. In the 2022 opening, that cutoff was 12,500. Everyone with a higher number was not selected, no matter when they submitted.¹

Local preferences can shift your position once you’re on the list. These vary by opening and commonly include veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and families who live or work within HANO’s jurisdiction. Preference points can move you ahead of applicants with lower lottery numbers who don’t qualify for a preference.

If you have a disability or no internet access, you can request a reasonable accommodation to apply on paper. Paper applications are returned to HANO’s office by mail or secure drop box. HUD requires housing authorities to take steps that let applicants with disabilities communicate effectively, which can include alternative formats or allowing someone to assist you with the application.¹

Who Qualifies

Three factors drive eligibility: household income, citizenship or immigration status, and criminal background. A fourth, the household’s net assets, was added under new federal rules in 2025.

Income Limits

Your household’s gross income must fall below HANO’s published limits for the New Orleans-Metairie area. The current figures are:¹

1 person: $27,450
2 people: $31,400
3 people: $35,300
4 people: $39,200
5 people: $42,350
6 people: $45,500
7 people: $48,650
8 people: $51,750

Federal rules require that at least 75 percent of families newly admitted to the voucher program have incomes at or below 30 percent of the area median income, which is well below the caps above. In practice, extremely low-income families get strong priority, and most households who actually receive vouchers earn well under the maximum limits.

Several types of income are left out of the eligibility calculation entirely, and this trips up applicants who assume they earn too much. Foster care payments for children or adults in your care don’t count. Earnings of a household member under 18 don’t count. Most student financial aid paid directly to the student or school is excluded, though for Section 8 some grant funds above tuition can count for students under 23 without dependents. Military hostile fire pay, medical reimbursement payments, and one-time money such as gifts, inheritances, and insurance settlements are excluded. Stipends and expense payments tied to HUD-funded or publicly assisted job training are also excluded.³ If you’re near the limit, review the full exclusion list before writing yourself off.

Citizenship and Immigration Status

At least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or hold eligible immigration status, which HANO verifies during screening. A mixed-status household can still qualify, but the subsidy is prorated based on the share of eligible members.⁴

Criminal Background

HANO screens every adult household member’s criminal history. Two categories trigger a mandatory, permanent ban: anyone subject to a lifetime sex offender registration requirement, and anyone ever convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine on the premises of federally assisted housing.⁵ Beyond those two bars, HANO has discretion to deny applicants based on other drug-related or violent criminal activity. An arrest alone, without a conviction, is not supposed to be the sole basis for denial.

Asset Limits

Rules that took effect in January 2025 under the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) make families with net assets over $100,000 ineligible for the voucher program.⁶ If your total assets are under $50,000, HANO can accept a simple self-certification instead of statements and appraisals. Between $50,000 and $100,000, you’ll need documentation, and HUD counts an imputed return on those assets as part of your income.

Documents to Have Ready

When HANO calls you from the waiting list for a full eligibility determination, you’ll need documentation for every person in your household. Pulling these together before the call prevents delays that can cost you your place:

Photo ID for every adult, Social Security cards, and birth certificates for all household members.
Two current, consecutive pay stubs for each employed adult, plus benefit letters for Social Security, SSI, SSDI, TANF, child support, or unemployment.
Federal tax returns from the previous two years if you are self-employed.
A U.S. passport, birth certificate, or immigration documents for each household member.
A current utility bill or valid lease showing a New Orleans address if you want to claim a local preference.
Bank statements and documentation of any savings, investments, or real estate to meet HOTMA asset requirements.

HANO can ask for more than what’s on this list, so treat it as the floor rather than the ceiling.⁷

Staying on the List Once You’re On It

Placement on the waiting list is the start, not the finish. The wait can last years, and HANO will remove you if it can’t reach you. You must report changes to your address, phone number, household composition, or income within ten days by logging into your My Housing account.¹ A letter sent to an outdated address and left unanswered gets your application withdrawn.

HANO also runs periodic waiting list purges. During a purge, everyone on the list is contacted and required to respond confirming they’re still interested and eligible. Miss the response deadline and you’re removed. Getting reinstated afterward is difficult and generally requires showing a medical emergency, natural disaster, or similar extraordinary circumstance. The safest practice is to update your contact information the moment anything changes and to check your My Housing account and email regularly, even during long stretches of silence from HANO.

What Happens After You’re Selected

When your name reaches the top of the list, HANO starts the full eligibility screening: documentation review, criminal background check, and income verification. Applicants who clear screening enter a pool of “ready” families, and the family with the earliest eligibility date in the pool gets the next available voucher.⁸

Before using the voucher, you attend a mandatory briefing. Federal rules require the briefing to cover how the program works, your responsibilities as a tenant, how your rent share is calculated, how portability works if you want to move to another jurisdiction, and your rights under the Violence Against Women Act.⁹ You also receive a packet with payment standard schedules, utility allowance tables, lists of participating landlords, and maps of housing opportunities outside high-poverty areas.

Once the voucher is in hand, you have a set number of days (printed on the voucher itself) to find a landlord willing to accept it. Any unit you choose has to pass a Housing Quality Standards inspection before HANO will approve the lease and begin payments. Not every landlord accepts vouchers and the search can be stressful, so start the day you receive it and cast a wide net.

As a voucher holder, you generally pay about 30 percent of your household’s adjusted monthly income toward rent and utilities, and HANO pays the rest up to a maximum called the payment standard, which is based on HUD’s Fair Market Rents for the area. If you choose a unit priced above the payment standard, you cover the extra out of pocket. The adjusted income calculation subtracts allowances for dependents, elderly or disabled household members, and certain out-of-pocket medical or child care costs, so the actual tenant share often lands below a straight 30 percent of gross income.

If HANO Denies Your Application

Federal rules require HANO to send written notice of a denial that explains the reason and tells you how to request an informal review.¹⁰ The review has to be conducted by someone other than the person who made the original decision. You can present written or oral objections, and HANO must notify you of its final decision in writing.

Common denial reasons are criminal history, past evictions, and incomplete or inaccurate applications. If the denial relates to a criminal record, you can present evidence of rehabilitation, community involvement, or the time that has passed since the offense. If it relates to an eviction, evidence of stable rental history since can help. Bring supporting documents: court records, letters from employers or social workers, medical records if relevant. If a disability contributed to the circumstances behind the denial, you can request a reasonable accommodation during the review.

Act fast. HANO’s administrative plan sets the deadline for requesting a review, and housing authorities typically allow only 10 business days from the denial notice. Miss that window and the denial usually stands.

Protections for Survivors of Domestic Violence

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) applies throughout the voucher process. HANO cannot deny your application or terminate your assistance because you are a survivor of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and it cannot hold against you an eviction record, criminal history, or damaged credit that resulted from the abuse.¹¹ To document survivor status, you can submit HUD Form 5382, the VAWA Self-Certification Form; a police report or court order is not required unless the housing authority has conflicting information. Any denial or termination notice HANO sends must include a Notice of VAWA Housing Rights along with the self-certification form.

1
Housing Authority of New Orleans. Housing Choice Voucher Program
2
Housing Authority of New Orleans. Apply For Housing
3
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Exhibit 5-1 – Income Inclusions and Exclusions
4
Housing Authority of New Orleans. Public Housing
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. HOTMA Resident Fact Sheet – Asset and Real Property Limitations
7
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Common Documents for Public Housing and HCV Applicants
8
Housing Authority of New Orleans. HANO Administrative Plan
9
eCFR. 24 CFR 982.301 – Information When Family Is Selected
10
eCFR. 24 CFR 982.554 – Informal Review for Applicant
11
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)