Cook County tosses 'lifeline' to needy residents, opening housing voucher waiting list for first

Cook County tosses ‘lifeline’ to needy residents, opening housing voucher waiting list for first time since 2001


As many as 10,000 Cook County residents who meet the income requirements can join the line for help paying their rent, officials said Monday, as they opened up the housing choice voucher program waiting list for the first time in nearly 20 years.

As of 10:30 a.m. Monday, 6,000 people had already submitted applications, although they have until Nov. 2 to apply for a voucher, said Richard Monocchio, the head of the Housing Authority of Cook County.

“This program is a lifeline for so many people, especially today,” Monocchio said at a news conference. “We look forward to housing as many people as we can and continuing to be a lifeline for Cook County families during these very difficult times.”

The waiting list will have 10,000 spots for new applicants — 6,000 people were already on the list before the applications opened Monday. Once the county gets through those applicants it can begin processing new applications, Monocchio said. The last time the list was open was in 2001.

Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2020/10/19/21524025/cook-county-lifeline-low-income-residents-housing-choice-voucher-waiting-list