As far as I can tell, it is near-impossible to access a Housing Choice voucher in Santa Clara County. I have had a number of clients complain about being on the waitlist for 10+ years. 

-Shannon (Founder)

Earlier this week, a Havensafe Case Worker shared a tip on how to access a Housing Choice Voucher: Move to another state for a year with no waitlist, secure a Housing Choice Voucher there, and then port it back to Santa Clara County.

Here is a list we prepared using Chat GPT:

Below is a curated list of ~20 housing authorities in the U.S. where people sometimes receive Housing Choice Vouchers relatively quickly (often ~6–24 months) compared with large cities that can take 5–10+ years. These tend to be small or rural housing authorities where demand is lower, which housing experts often recommend applying to.

⚠️ Important:

• Waitlists open and close unpredictably.

• You may need to live there for 12 months before transferring (“porting”) the voucher if you do not already live/work in that county.

• Applying to many housing authorities simultaneously is common because most lists are closed or long.
  
  

~20 Housing Authorities Known for Faster Voucher Turnover

Midwest (often fastest)

1. Pike Metropolitan Housing Authority – Ohio
   https://pikehousing.org
   
   

2. Seneca Metropolitan Housing Authority – Ohio
   https://senecamha.org
   
   

3. Marion Metropolitan Housing Authority – Ohio
   https://marionhousing.com
   
   

4. Harrison Metropolitan Housing Authority – Ohio
   https://hmha.net
   
   

5. Knox Metropolitan Housing Authority – Ohio
   https://kmha.org
   
   

These Ohio programs are widely cited by housing advocates because smaller populations mean shorter waiting lists.

Nebraska (historically some of the shortest waits)

6. Alliance Housing Authority – Nebraska
   https://alliancehousingauthority.com
   
   

7. Fremont Housing Agency – Nebraska
   https://fremonthousing.org
   
   

8. Kearney Housing Agency – Nebraska
   https://kearneyhousingagency.com
   
   

9. Hall County Housing Authority – Nebraska
   https://hallcountyhousing.com
   
   

Some Nebraska areas have sub-2-year waits, far shorter than coastal cities.

Plains / Mountain states

10. Pennington County Housing Authority – South Dakota
    https://pcha-sd.org
    
    

11. Billings Housing Authority – Montana
    https://billingsha.org
    
    

12. Rapid City Housing Authority – South Dakota
    https://rapidcityhousing.org
    
    

Rural Western programs

13. Nevada Rural Housing Authority – Nevada
    https://nvrural.org/programs/rental-assistance/housing-choice-voucher/
    
    

Serves 15 rural counties statewide.

14. Northwest Regional Housing Authority – Arkansas
    https://nwregionalhousing.org
    
    

15. Mid-Columbia Housing Authority – Oregon
    https://mchaor.org
    
    

16. Northeast Oregon Housing Authority – Oregon
    https://neoha.org
    
    

Appalachia / Southeast rural programs

17. Wise County Housing Authority – Virginia
    https://wisehousingauthority.org
    
    

18. Scott County Redevelopment and Housing Authority – Virginia
    https://scrha.net
    
    

19. Eastern Eight Community Development – Ohio
    https://e8cdc.org
    
    

20. Delta Housing Authority – Mississippi
    https://deltahousing.org
    
    

Why These Locations Move Faster

Housing Choice Voucher wait times vary dramatically across the U.S.:

Major coastal metro

5–10+ years

Mid-size cities

2–5 years

Rural counties

6–24 months

Nationally, the average wait is about 27–28 months, but individual housing authorities can vary widely.

Do you have any tips? We'd love to share them!

To get involved, please reach out to us at info@havensafe.org. Let's work together to prevent homelessness!