Statewide Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List to Reopen July 1, 2025
Photo Information
HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that its statewide Public Housing Authority will re-open its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list on July 1, 2025, at 8 a.m.
Commerce strongly encourages interested low-income persons and households to apply for this federal rental assistance program at commerce.mt.gov. Applicants may only apply to one of the ten regional waiting lists; wait time varies depending on the level of demand at each regional waiting list.
In addition to re-opening the Section 8 HCV waiting list, Commerce will also open a separate waiting list for the Moderate Rehabilitation Program on July 1, 2025, at 8 a.m. Wait time for MR rental units is typically shorter than the HCV Program. The application for this waiting list can also be accessed at commerce.mt.gov.
“Montanans experiencing housing instability due to rising rents and inflation-driven cost of living increases, particularly seniors on fixed incomes and persons with disabilities, can significantly benefit from these programs,” said Cheryl Cohen, Commerce’s Housing Division administrator. “Nearly 30,000 renter households in our state are severely housing-cost burdened, meaning they pay more than 50 percent of their monthly income for housing costs. With the support of an HCV or MR rental home, eligible households pay 30 percent of their adjusted monthly income for rent so they can breathe a bit easier and have funds each month for food, medicine and other essentials.”
Applicants who are already on the HCV waiting list do not need to reapply if they have expressed continued interest in remaining on it by responding to recent letters issued by Commerce.
The Section 8 HCV and MR programs include various federal restrictions on income eligibility, citizenship or eligible immigration status and limitations on prior criminal convictions. All program criteria are included in Commerce’s 2026 PHA administrative plan, available at commerce.mt.gov.
Commerce’s HCV waiting list was closed on Aug. 1, 2024, due to decreased funding disbursements from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD officially notified Commerce of an increase to its 2025 HCV federal budget in May 2025. Additionally, based on the Fair Market Rent Reevaluation Study conducted in late 2024, HUD approved an increase to Montana’s HCV voucher payment standards. These new voucher payment standards also go into effect on July 1, 2025, and can be found at commerce.mt.gov.
The HCV Program provides rental subsidies for very low-income families, elderly persons and persons with disabilities, with the opportunity for participants to choose their own rental home within the community of their choice, subject to program requirements. MR provides project-based rental assistance for eligible, low-income households at specific properties across the state that were previously rehabilitated under a housing assistance payment contract between the property owner and the PHA.
Commerce strongly encourages interested low-income persons and households to apply for this federal rental assistance program at commerce.mt.gov. Applicants may only apply to one of the ten regional waiting lists; wait time varies depending on the level of demand at each regional waiting list.
In addition to re-opening the Section 8 HCV waiting list, Commerce will also open a separate waiting list for the Moderate Rehabilitation Program on July 1, 2025, at 8 a.m. Wait time for MR rental units is typically shorter than the HCV Program. The application for this waiting list can also be accessed at commerce.mt.gov.
“Montanans experiencing housing instability due to rising rents and inflation-driven cost of living increases, particularly seniors on fixed incomes and persons with disabilities, can significantly benefit from these programs,” said Cheryl Cohen, Commerce’s Housing Division administrator. “Nearly 30,000 renter households in our state are severely housing-cost burdened, meaning they pay more than 50 percent of their monthly income for housing costs. With the support of an HCV or MR rental home, eligible households pay 30 percent of their adjusted monthly income for rent so they can breathe a bit easier and have funds each month for food, medicine and other essentials.”
Applicants who are already on the HCV waiting list do not need to reapply if they have expressed continued interest in remaining on it by responding to recent letters issued by Commerce.
The Section 8 HCV and MR programs include various federal restrictions on income eligibility, citizenship or eligible immigration status and limitations on prior criminal convictions. All program criteria are included in Commerce’s 2026 PHA administrative plan, available at commerce.mt.gov.
Commerce’s HCV waiting list was closed on Aug. 1, 2024, due to decreased funding disbursements from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD officially notified Commerce of an increase to its 2025 HCV federal budget in May 2025. Additionally, based on the Fair Market Rent Reevaluation Study conducted in late 2024, HUD approved an increase to Montana’s HCV voucher payment standards. These new voucher payment standards also go into effect on July 1, 2025, and can be found at commerce.mt.gov.
The HCV Program provides rental subsidies for very low-income families, elderly persons and persons with disabilities, with the opportunity for participants to choose their own rental home within the community of their choice, subject to program requirements. MR provides project-based rental assistance for eligible, low-income households at specific properties across the state that were previously rehabilitated under a housing assistance payment contract between the property owner and the PHA.
Tags: housing and press release
