Can you accept a section 8 voucher in one state while waiting for one in another?

Answer 1

Surprisingly, yes you can! You can be on as many waiting lists you want to be for a Housing Choice Voucher, formerly known as the section 8 voucher. You can wait for in one state while you are holding a voucher in another. This is generally a strategic move because although you have the ability to port a voucher to another state, the Housing Authority that issued your voucher can claim it cannot afford to port you to the other state. This often happens when you want to move from a rural state -- where there is often no transportation system, medical centers, or other convenient facilities -- to a jurisdiction that does have these conveniences but are often more expensive than the rural area from which you want to move.

To port a voucher, the receiving Housing Authority must agree to absorb the costs of such porting or the issuing Housing Authority must agree to be billed by the receiving Housing Authority.

So waiting for another voucher might be a good choice in your case. However, you probably already are aware that you can only hold one voucher at a time, so when the other Housing Authority issues your voucher, you will have to let go of the original voucher. Make sure that you make this transition as smooth as possible (in other words, do not burn the bridges behind the original Housing Authority).

You may want to check with the Housing Authority that has you on their waiting list to see if they will absorb the cost of porting, or check with your issuing Housing Authority to see if they are willing to be billed, so that you may not have to wait on the waiting list anymore.