Section 8 in St. Louis: What’s Actually Open Right Now
The honest starting point: the main voucher waitlists are closed. Here’s what that means — and the doors that aren’t.
The short version
As of September 2026, the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlists at the St. Louis area’s main housing authorities are closed. The St. Louis Housing Authority — the city agency — last opened its voucher list in July 2014 and received more than 27,000 applications in four days. The Housing Authority of St. Louis County (now called County Housing, countyhousing.org) last opened its list in March 2020. Neither is taking voucher applications today.
That’s a hard thing to read if you were counting on a voucher. But knowing it up front saves you from two expensive mistakes: waiting on a list you can’t actually join, and paying someone who claims they can get you on one. Applying for Section 8 is always free. Anyone charging a fee to “apply,” “pre-register,” or “reserve your spot” is running a scam — see our guide to avoiding rental scams.
How the program works, briefly
A Housing Choice Voucher pays the gap between what you can afford and the rent. You generally pay about 30% of your adjusted monthly income; the voucher covers the rest, up to a payment standard the housing authority sets. A tenant-based voucher moves with you — you find a unit, the authority inspects it, and the landlord signs a contract. A project-based voucher is tied to a specific building: the subsidy stays with the apartment, and you apply at the property, not at the housing authority.
That last distinction matters more than most people realize, because it’s the main door still open.
What you can do while the lists are closed
If everyone in your household is 62 or older, the St. Louis Housing Authority’s Elderly-Only waiting list (public housing in SLHA’s senior buildings, not a voucher) is open year-round and accepts applications on an ongoing basis — it is the one main-authority list that stays open. Apply online through SLHA’s RentCafe portal; if you need a paper application as a reasonable accommodation, call 314-531-4770.
Apply directly at subsidized properties
Project-based Section 8 buildings and other subsidized properties keep their own waitlists, and those open and close on their own schedules — independent of the big voucher lists. The same goes for income-restricted “affordable” or “tax credit” properties, where the rent itself is set below market for households under an income cap. No voucher needed. When you call a property, ask two questions: “Is your waitlist open?” and “Is this project-based subsidy or income-restricted rent?” Apply at several; lists move at different speeds.
Watch for the big lists to open
When a voucher waitlist opens, it can close quickly. County Housing says it announces reopenings 30 days in advance and offers email alerts on countyhousing.org. Check both agencies directly — County Housing at 314-428-3200 and the St. Louis Housing Authority at 314-531-4770 — and ask how openings are announced. Smaller housing authorities in surrounding counties open their lists from time to time too, and you can apply anywhere you’d be willing to live.
Rent below market in the meantime
A voucher is one path to affordable rent, not the only one. North County has conventional apartments with real rents in reach of working households — that’s most of what this site covers. Start with finding an apartment by category, run your numbers with the income guide, and if you’re behind on rent or utilities right now, there is help that doesn’t require a waitlist: see rent & utility assistance.
If you already have a voucher
Two things to know. First, vouchers can often be transferred (“ported”) between housing authorities if you’re moving into the area — ask your current authority about porting before you commit to an address. Second, Missouri has no statewide law requiring landlords to accept vouchers, and a 2025 state law bars cities and counties from requiring it, so acceptance varies property to property. Ask “Do you accept Housing Choice Vouchers?” before you pay any application fee — a legitimate office will answer that question every day, and the fee doesn’t come back if the answer is no.
Once you have a “yes,” the application itself looks like any other: see documents needed to apply so the inspection and paperwork don’t slow down your move.