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Despite the low odds of receiving a Housing Choice Voucher, thousands apply each year. That's not likely to change anytime soon, as the number of applications surged this year.
By David Dudley
FORJournalism Lab
Mike Charlton visited the Housing Works office in Redmond on a recent morning in January. The 41-year-old was there to apply for a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV). Charlton was eventually joined by his wife, Marina. They have five kids between them, aged eight months to 16 years.
Charlton said this would be the fourth consecutive year he’s applied for one of the coveted vouchers that are meant to help families pay rent. But his need for help is more urgent than it was in years past.
"This will be the first time we'll apply for a voucher while we're homeless," said Charlton, a licensed contractor. "I took a little time off when our baby was born, and the bills piled up fast. Before we knew it, we were behind on rent, and we were evicted."
Charlton said he was born and raised in Redmond, and he's seen the cost of living skyrocket since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Before that, we were doing okay," Charlton said. "Now, we're spending the night with different family members, sleeping on couches as they let us."
Oregon leads the nation in the percentage of homeless families with children who are living unsheltered, at 56%, according to the most recent Annual Homelessness Assessment Report.
Thousands of residents from Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties apply for the vouchers each year, but less than 25% receive one. For families like Charlton's, the voucher is a lifeline that can be the difference between having a home of one's own and depending upon the kindness of relatives. It can also be the thing that prevents them from living on the streets.
How does the voucher process work?
Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the agency responsible for finding solutions to America's housing needs, the vouchers are meant to help low-income persons and families pay rent for apartments on the private market.
Housing Works is the sole HUD administrator for Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties. Applications for the highly competitive program open each year during the second week in January. This year, the application window was open from Jan. 13, 2025, at 8 a.m. to Jan. 17 at 5 p.m.
Lesly Gonzalez is the HCV director at Housing Works. She began her career there as a receptionist 18 years ago.
"When voucher applications were still done on paper," Gonzalez said with a laugh.
Though she's seen two major economic crises during her time with Housing Works — the Great Recession of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic — Gonzalez said the number of applications has remained roughly the same.
"This is an important program, so the demand for this type of assistance is consistent," she said. "But we have started to see more applications from people who are currently living in places like New York and Florida. "
Residents of other states may apply for vouchers, but priority is given to individuals and families who live and work locally. Priority is also given to other groups through vouchers aimed specifically at helping elderly and disabled people, veterans, emergency housing, and those who are working toward home ownership.
While anyone may apply, there are income limits. In Deschutes County, for instance, a family of four must make $47,600 or less annually to qualify. In Jefferson and Crook counties, that number is $38,000.
Once the application window closes, a waitlist is determined via lottery, in which random applications are selected. Those applicants are notified and asked to verify their income and submit to criminal background checks.
"There are two instances where applicants will be denied during the background check," Gonzalez said. "Sex offenders who are lifetime registry in any state, and those who have been convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine on public housing property."
When applicants and members of their households pass those steps, they're connected with a housing specialist and required to attend an orientation. Once that process is completed, successful applicants receive a housing voucher.
What happens when you get a voucher?
Even if Charlton's family is awarded a voucher, there are a number of barriers that must be passed along the way to moving into a home.
Gonzalez said that 3,383 people applied for a voucher this year. That's nearly a thousand more than in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, when 2,447 people applied for a voucher through Housing Works, according to executive director Lynne McConnell. Of those, 572 were offered assistance.
"But only 183 of those families found rentals that would accept the vouchers," McConnell said. "Those who receive a voucher have 120 days to use it."
Four months to find an apartment may feel like a long time, but it goes quickly, Gonzalez said.
"We can provide extensions in some cases," Gonzalez said. "Disabled people, for instance, can apply for a reasonable accommodation extension."
Why do those offered vouchers fail to find a rental?
"There just isn't enough affordable housing in the area," Gonzalez said. "Then, when someone finds an affordable apartment, they may have to come up with first and last month's rent, as well as a damage deposit.
"Some of them will have to come up with more than $3,000 in 48 hours," Gonzalez added after a pause.
That's no easy task.
About two-thirds of renter households qualify as low-income, according to a report by Oregon Housing and Community Services. The authors of the report found that wages in the state increased by 6.3% between 2017-22, while rent spiked by 13% from 2020-22.
The result? Only 47% of employed Oregonians could afford a one-bedroom apartment.
To balance supply and demand, half a million affordable rentals will need to be built throughout the state over the next two decades. The city of Bend needs to build 32,000 affordable rentals during that same time to meet demand.
There is help
Thrive Central Oregon, based in Bend, offers an array of housing-related services. Whether one needs help applying for a voucher, finding an affordable rental after receiving a voucher or connecting to resources to help pay for rental applications and move-in expenses, Thrive's advocates serve around 200 families per month.
Sarah Mahnke, Thrive's founder and executive director, said that around 20 of those families secure housing each month.
"Which is significant, because the market is so tough right now," Mahnke said. "We could help so many more people and families if we had more resources. The demand is so high right now."
Mahnke said that Thrive's first consideration is helping families find the resources they need to meet move-in costs, which can be over $3,000. Anyone may apply for help, but many of Thrive's programs require that applicants make 60% of the Actual Median Income, per HUD guidelines.
Thrive receives limited funding from governmental and foundation sources, said Mahnke.
"Beyond that, 100% of our private donations go directly to our housing assistance programs," she said. "Every person has a story, and every story is important. We want to become part of those stories by helping those people find a home."
An uncertain future for the housing voucher program
As U.S. President Donald Trump launches his second term, he says he wants to "dismantle federal bureaucracy." To do so, he enlisted tech billionaire Elon Musk, and former GOP Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
The duo intends to cut $2 trillion in annual federal spending through mass reductions, or in some cases, to abolish whole departments. Ramaswamy has since resigned from Doge, leaving Musk in charge. While some doubt the incoming administration will be able to achieve the latter, they could potentially starve those departments of funding.
Trump's pick to run HUD, former NFL player turned politician Scott Turner, has a record of opposing initiatives that would help homeless people. Turner supported a bill in 2015 that would have allowed landlords in Texas to deny renting apartments to applicants who are receiving federal housing assistance, like the voucher.
When asked about Turner's record, and the potential for funding cuts, Gonzalez said that she's seen administrations come and go — and she has no intention of changing her approach.
"We've got an office full of people who have decades of experience," she said. "We're confident that, no matter who's in office, we'll continue to help people through whatever comes."
McConnell said that, while she hopes to see an increase in the number of vouchers available, the amount of funding for this year is uncertain due to continuing resolutions by U.S. Congress, who vote periodically on funding and other HUD-related matters.
"The information from HUD is coming continuously, and we adjust the budget every two weeks to accommodate changes and attrition," said McConnell. "This information could change at any point as the federal budget is so uncertain during this transition."
Becoming a better citizen
Dr. Claire Herbert is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on laws, regulation enforcement, and sheltering practices to better understand homelessness.
Herbert said that, while policy that makes building affordable housing attractive to more developers is necessary in the long run, we also need to find immediate solutions to prevent families from becoming homeless in the first place.
"Harm reduction is so important because homelessness has a way of compounding existing problems," said Herbert. "The longer someone lives unhoused, the harder it will be to help them. The government must step in at some point, and private citizens can help in many ways, too."
Herbert said that emergency efforts to house families displaced by the wildfires that tore through the Pacific Palisades community in Los Angeles, California, may offer solutions to communities experiencing housing crises across the U.S.
"They're asking people who have second homes to consider renting them to displaced families," Herbert said. "They're asking owners of short-term Airbnb property to rent long-term. Those are creative ways to handle housing crises, and we should take note."
Herbert added that increasing funding for the housing voucher program would help people now, which doesn't just benefit individuals and their respective families but the broader community.
"I heard a woman speak at a meeting recently," said Herbert. "After becoming homeless, she had found her way to a tiny home. She didn't have to worry about meeting the high expenses she once had, so she had more time to bake cookies for her neighbors, to volunteer in her community. Because of that, she said she'd become a better citizen."
Mike Charlton agreed with that notion, but said that he needs to ensure that his family's needs are met first. He said a voucher would take a great weight off his shoulders, and he could focus his time and energies on things other than securing shelter for the night.
"It's just getting harder and harder to rent, and more expensive," he said. "If we could at least get into a place, we could start saving money to buy our own house.
"That's the ultimate goal," Charlton added. "We want to own our home, so we won't be forced to move around anymore. I want our kids to have a home, to know what a home is. It's sad that working people can't afford to live here."
Homelessness: Real Stories, Real Solutions (realstoriesrealsolutions.org) is a journalism lab funded by Central Oregon Health Council under FORJournalism (forjournalism.org), an Oregon nonprofit dedicated to supporting journalism statewide. Sign up for weekly newsletters to receive updates.
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