Getting housing help from the City of Charleston Housing Authority.
The Housing Authority of the City of Charleston — known as CHA or HACC — is a government agency, not a nonprofit, and it's the primary source of federally assisted housing in the city. CHA has operated since 1934 and manages over 2,000 low-income apartments on the Charleston peninsula, along with administering Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) that help families rent in the private market. Every year it serves thousands of households across the city. This guide will help you navigate the various programs available.
Charleston's housing situation makes CHA's programs more critical than almost anywhere else in the South. Median rent and home prices in the city rose more than 50% over the past decade while household incomes rose only about 30%. Today, over 40% of Charleston households spend more than 30% of their income on housing — HUD's threshold for being "cost-burdened." The Charleston region ranks among the top 30 most expensive places to buy a home in the entire country.
The main office is at 550 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29403. Phone: (843) 720-3970. Email: [email protected]. Applications and waitlist management are handled online at https://housing.chacity.org/.
The waitlist: what you need to know before anything else
Before getting into the programs themselves, the single most important thing to understand about CHA is how its waitlists actually work — because the process is unlike most housing authorities and catches many people off guard.
CHA's waitlists do not stay open continuously. They open for very brief windows — often just one hour — a few times per year, for specific programs and bedroom sizes. The Housing Choice Voucher waitlist, for example, was open from noon to 1 pm for a single day when it last opened. Applications submitted outside these windows are not accepted. When a waitlist closes, there is typically no scheduled reopening date announced in advance.
This means the practical strategy is to register for an account at housing.chacity.org now — before any waitlist opens — so you're ready to apply the moment a window is announced. CHA sends notice via its website and public announcements before openings, but the windows are short. If you don't already have an account, you won't have time to create one during the application period. All applications are submitted online; paper, fax, and email applications are not accepted.
Public housing
CHA's public housing program provides apartments directly owned and managed by CHA, primarily on the Charleston peninsula. Rent is based on a percentage of the family's adjusted gross income, making it genuinely affordable even for very low-income households. Eligibility is based on income — HUD sets the limits at 80% and 50% of the area median income for different program types, with most public housing targeting households at the lower end of those thresholds.
A $150 security deposit is required when a unit is offered. Applicants are placed by bedroom size across CHA's peninsula properties.
Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8)
The Housing Choice Voucher program — commonly called Section 8 — helps low-income families afford apartments in the private rental market. Rather than placing families in CHA-owned units, the voucher goes with the family: you find an apartment, the landlord must agree to CHA's terms, and CHA pays a portion of your rent directly to the landlord each month. The family pays the difference between CHA's payment and the actual rent.
Income must be at or below income limits set by HUD, and the household head must be 18 or older. Average wait time for those who received vouchers recently has been approximately 35 months from application to receiving a voucher — though this can vary significantly.
Project-Based Vouchers are a related but different option: rather than a portable voucher, the subsidy is tied to a specific unit at a specific CHA-partnered property. CHA has project-based voucher units at several properties including Archer School Apartments (for residents 55 and older) and Grace Homes. Waitlists for these properties open separately and also on brief windows.
Veterans housing: VASH
For homeless veterans or veterans at risk of losing their housing, CHA administers the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program. VASH combines a Housing Choice Voucher with case management services from the VA. The program is specifically for veterans who are homeless or facing eviction or foreclosure.
Veterans interested in VASH should contact their nearest VA medical center first, rather than CHA directly. The VA conducts an assessment and refers eligible veterans to CHA for a voucher. CHA has a dedicated case manager who works specifically with the veteran population and can assist with navigating VA benefits, mental health resources, and other barriers to housing stability.
Family Self-Sufficiency: a path toward economic independence
The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program is one of CHA's most underused and most valuable programs, and it works differently from anything else CHA offers.
FSS is for Housing Choice Voucher participants who want to reduce their dependence on government assistance and build long-term economic independence. A CHA FSS Specialist works with each participant to coordinate job training, education, and other support services from public and private partners. The goal is to help participants improve their income and employment situation over a five-year period.
What makes FSS genuinely distinctive is the escrow account. As a participant's earned income increases, CHA deposits a corresponding amount into an escrow account on their behalf. The participant doesn't touch this money during the program — but at the end of the contract period, if the participant has met their goals and is no longer receiving welfare assistance, the full escrow balance is paid out to them. For families who stick with the program, this can amount to a meaningful lump sum that can be used for a down payment, education, or other goals. The homeownership review component specifically pairs participants with a mortgage underwriter to assess their readiness for purchasing a home.
FSS essentially turns the Housing Choice Voucher into a wealth-building tool, not just a rent subsidy.
Using a voucher to buy a home
Many people assume the Housing Choice Voucher program only applies to rental housing. That's not correct. CHA operates a Home Ownership Program that allows eligible voucher holders to use their monthly housing assistance toward the purchase of a home rather than rent.
To qualify, the family must be a current voucher holder, must have completed a pre-assistance homeownership counseling program, must be able to make a minimum 3% down payment (with at least 1% from the family's own funds), and must meet other standard mortgage requirements. CHA's assistance can continue for up to 15 years on a mortgage of 20 years or longer, or up to 10 years on a shorter mortgage. For elderly and disabled families, these time limits do not apply.
This is a significant program that is rarely discussed in the context of CHA, and it represents a genuine pathway from assisted renter to homeowner for families who might never otherwise have the financial foundation to buy.
Housing counseling
CHA offers or coordinates housing counseling services for residents in several areas, including pre-purchase education for prospective first-time buyers, guidance for those falling behind on mortgage payments, and post-purchase counseling to help residents stay stably housed. Counseling is provided through CHA or in partnership with HUD-approved counseling agencies. For residents facing mortgage default or foreclosure, counseling can include guidance on loan modification options and assistance in communicating with mortgage servicers.
How to apply and stay informed
All CHA applications are submitted online. As noted above, register for an account at housing.chacity.org and keep your contact information current so you receive notifications when waitlists open. Watch the public notices section of chacity.org at https://www.chacity.org/public-notices/ for upcoming openings. Given how brief the windows are, checking the website regularly is the most reliable way to know when an application period is approaching.
For questions or assistance, call (843) 720-3970 or email [email protected]..
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