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4 <br />• Waiting List <br />There are approximately 1,020 families on the current waiting list. In October 2002, the <br />Department suspended receipt of new applications because of the anticipated lengthy wait for <br />assistance -three to four years. The waiting list was last purged in the year 2000. The oldest <br />application date on the waiting list is from 1993 (a family without preferences). <br />The program presently has maintained the following Waiting List Preferences for the applicants <br />that are: <br />a. Involuntary displaced; <br />b. Living in substandard housing to include homeless families; <br />c. Paying more than 50% of their income for rent and utilities; and <br />d. Elderly and/or Disabled. <br />Additionally, the program has the following Local Preferences for: <br />a. Families who live, work, or have been hired to work in the jurisdiction. <br />b. Families who are graduates or participants in an education and training program <br />to prepare for self-sufficiency. <br />c. Graduates of transitional housing programs for homeless persons; substance <br />abusers; and victims of domestic abuse. <br />• Of the 1,020 current applicant families on the waiting list: <br />• 435 (43%) have preferential placement <br />• 105 have the rent burden preference (>50%) <br />• 79 have the substandard/homelesspreference <br />• 17 have the involuntarily displaced preference <br />• 292 are elderly and/or disabled <br />Staff Response to the October 15.2002 InterFaith Council Petition <br />1. Remove the freeze from on Orange County's Section 8 Program <br />The waiting list was closed in October 2001 because the average waiting time for current <br />applicants on the waiting list was 4-5 years. (This was based on turnover of approximately 150- <br />200 families each year.) With such a massive waiting list and associated waiting period, <br />department staff considered it unfair to continue to accept applications when rental assistance <br />may be years away. At that time the Greensboro office of HUD was consulted and they <br />concurred with our assessment. <br />In retrospect, since between October 2001 and August 2002, there was no significant turnover in <br />the program and thus no available vouchers. Therefore, we were not able to select any applicants <br />from the waiting list for potential assistance. It has been only in the last 30 - 60 days that there <br />has been sufficient turnover to warrant selecting applicants from the waiting list for vouchers that <br />have become available due to participant moves and terminations. <br />• <br />