Berks County Housing Authority and Section 8 Waiting Lists

Every Section 8 and public housing waiting list in Berks County is closed as of Nov. 6, 2026, at both of the agencies that run them: the Berks County Housing Authority, which covers everywhere in the county except the city, and the Reading Housing Authority, which covers the city alone. When a list opens, the county authority takes a short pre-application online or by mail and ranks applicants by preference points, then by lottery or by the date and time they applied; the city authority takes applications online only and runs a lottery when demand is high. Neither agency has emergency housing or takes applications while its lists are closed.

Two housing authorities, one county

Both agencies have Reading addresses, but they are separate governments with separate lists, and an application to one does nothing at the other.

The Berks County Housing Authority (BCHA) is a public housing agency organized under state law and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Its office is in the Richard B. Delp Townhouses at 1803 Butter Lane, Reading, PA 19606, phone 610-370-0822, and its chief executive officer is Gwen Becker, per its contact page. The authority's Housing Choice Voucher is valid anywhere in Berks County outside the City of Reading, per its HCV FAQ, which lists every township and borough it serves. Kenhorst, West Reading, Mount Penn, Laureldale, Muhlenberg and Cumru townships are all county territory even though the mail says Reading.

The Reading Housing Authority (RHA) serves the city. Its administrative office, the Willis Center for Administration, is at 400 Hancock Blvd., Reading, PA 19611, phone 610-775-4813, per its contact page. A May 6, 2026 release says the Voucher Programs Office "has relocated to the Steven E. Belinski Family Services Complex, 502 McClellan Street, 3rd Floor, Reading, PA 19611," and that "The former Voucher Programs Office at 400 Hancock Boulevard" now operates as the Compliance Department, whose staff "will assist those who apply for RHA housing programs"; "in-person assistance remains available." The voucher programs page and contact page still list 400 Hancock Blvd. for vouchers. Its president and chief executive officer is Stacey J. Keppen, per the executive team page. RHA's apply overview gives its residency preference to "a family who lives in the City of Reading, as defined by residing within the perimeters of the Reading School District."

The two agencies are different sizes. BCHA owns 209 public housing apartments and townhouses in nine developments and pays vouchers for more than 500 families, per its profile page. RHA has about 1,600 public housing apartments in eight city developments and more than 600 voucher households, per its homepage; its voucher programs page says about 700, counting vouchers issued elsewhere, plus 29 Mainstream vouchers for adults under 62 with a disability and 57 Emergency Housing Vouchers that are not reissued when a household leaves. RHA's Aug. 30, 2026 release says it is "evaluating whether to adopt work requirements and/or time limits for residents if HUD's proposed rule, Establishing Flexibility for Implementation of Work Requirements and Term Limits, is finalized"; its comment period ended Oct. 22, 2026.

What the programs are

Both agencies run the same two federal programs.

Public housing is apartments and townhouses the authority itself owns and manages. You pay rent to the authority, "approximately 30 percent of your monthly income," per BCHA's waiting list page. The county's nine sites, listed on its developments page, are in Boyertown (Rittenhouse and Warwick), Birdsboro (Brooke Estates and Chestnut Court), Womelsdorf (Northvale Hill), Laureldale (Jefferson Heights), Fleetwood (Laurel Court), Sinking Spring (Cacoosing Meadows) and Butter Lane (the Richard B. Delp Townhouses); five are one-bedroom or efficiency buildings, and the authority's February 2023 opening for them was limited to people 62 and older or with disabilities, per WFMZ. The city's eight developments are six for older adults and people with disabilities (the Rhodes, Eisenhower and Hubert apartments, Kennedy and Franklin towers, and Hensler Homes) and two "General Occupancy" family developments, Glenside and Oakbrook Homes, per RHA's August 2026 waiting-list release, which gives the senior age as "age 62+"; the county's February 2026 subsidized housing directory applies the label "Elderly- age 60+, Disabled (age 18-59)" to all eight developments and marks Glenside and Oakbrook "Primarily Families." Ask RHA which age applies.

The Housing Choice Voucher program, still called Section 8 by most people, lets you rent from a private landlord. You pay part of the rent and the authority pays the rest directly to the landlord under a contract called a Housing Assistance Payment, per the same BCHA page. The authority is not a party to your lease; RHA's vouchers overview describes three separate contracts: your voucher, your lease and the landlord's payment contract.

BCHA also manages Tarsus Manor, a 33-unit tax-credit building for people 62 and older at 701 E. Locust St., Fleetwood, per its managed properties page. That page still describes how to apply, by printing the pre-application from the forms page or calling 610-370-0822 to have one mailed, with applicants contacted in the order their pre-application arrived, and posts no closure notice for Tarsus Manor, while the waiting-list page says "ALL WAITING LISTS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED." Call 610-370-0822 to confirm before applying. Income may not exceed $35,750 for one person or $40,850 for two. RHA's special programs page describes 12 project-based vouchers at GoggleWorks Apartments, 135 Washington St., and a Shelter Plus Care program for about 38 homeless people with disabilities whose list "remains open at all times" but takes applicants through Service Access & Management at 19 N. 6th St.; RHA's own project-based voucher page says only "Coming Soon!"

Who qualifies

Income limits come from HUD and change each year. For 2026 the Reading metro area, which is Berks County alone, has a median family income of $102,100, per the FY 2026 table on BCHA's homepage. Vouchers go to "very low income" households, at or below 50 percent of the median, and by law 75 percent of new vouchers must go to "extremely low income" households at roughly 30 percent of area median income, or the federal poverty guideline if higher, per BCHA's HCV FAQ and the footnote on its homepage table. BCHA's public housing FAQ says that program is "limited to low-income families," the 80 percent column.

Household size	Extremely low (30%)	Very low (50%)	Low (80%)
1	$21,500	$35,750	$57,200
2	$24,550	$40,850	$65,400
3	$27,600	$45,950	$73,550
4	$33,000	$51,050	$81,700
5	$38,680	$55,150	$88,250
6	$44,360	$59,250	$94,800
7	$50,040	$63,350	$101,350
8	$55,720	$67,400	$107,850

RHA's vouchers overview posts the same figures for households of one to six. HUD's official FY 2026 Section 8 income-limit spreadsheet, Reading, PA MSA row, effective May 1, 2026, shows the same figures; HUD's income limits page explains the categories. Income means total gross income from all sources, including Social Security and pensions, per the county directory.

You do not need to be a U.S. citizen. BCHA's waiting list FAQ says you must have "eligible immigration status," and everyone in the household declares their status and shows proof of identity at the eligibility interview. HUD's applicant page adds that the head of household needs a valid Social Security number.

Having no income does not disqualify you at RHA; its apply overview says income "is not required" and that people with a criminal record may apply, though everyone who reaches a list is screened. BCHA's FAQ lists the common reasons for denial: a failed criminal background check, previous evictions, income over the limit, missed appointments and missing documents. It runs a background check on everyone over 18 and, for public housing, checks landlord references, per its public housing FAQ.

Neither authority's website mentions a fee to apply, and neither says applying is free. HUD's applicant page warns that landlords may charge application fees and that you may have to pay the security deposit yourself.

The lists today: closed

BCHA's waiting list page reads "ALL WAITING LISTS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED," and RHA's apply overview says "All Waiting Lists Are Currently Closed" for public housing, vouchers and its unsubsidized affordable rentals. Closed means the programs are running but the agency "is not accepting new applications," because of "the large number of families who are currently waiting," per BCHA's FAQ.

BCHA announces openings on its website, and its PA 211 listing says in the local paper two weeks ahead. RHA announces openings at least ten days ahead on its website, its Facebook page and in the Reading Eagle, with press releases to social service agencies, per its apply overview.

Openings are short. RHA's most recent public housing opening, per its Aug. 24, 2026 release, began at "8:00 am, Tuesday, September 8, 2026," with electronic applications to be "received by midnight on Thursday, September 10, 2026," online at readingha.org, for studios and one-bedrooms for people 62 and older or with a disability at the six senior sites and one- to four-bedroom general occupancy units at Glenside and Oakbrook and five-bedroom units at Oakbrook only. It was advertised in the Reading Eagle on Aug. 23 and on the website and Facebook on Aug. 24. The April 2024 opening ran three days as well. BCHA's site keeps no record of past openings; WFMZ reported a one-week county window in February 2023. Neither agency's site records when its voucher list last opened.

BCHA's homepage also carries a "Waiting List Update": it reviewed its records, consolidated duplicate lists and corrected some positions, so some applicants "may notice that their current waiting list position differs from a number previously displayed or provided."

How to apply when a list opens

The county authority's application process and public housing FAQ describe these steps:

1. Watch berksha.org for an opening notice. The notice says which lists are open (voucher, public housing, or specific developments and bedroom sizes) and the exact start and end times.
2. Submit a pre-application online or by mail. The PA 211 listing says BCHA takes applications online only, with a phone option only for people whose disability prevents them from using the website; call 610-370-0822 if that is you. Mailed pre-applications go to 1803 Butter Lane, Reading, PA 19606.
3. List everyone who will live in the unit, your address and phone, anything that qualifies you for a preference, and all income. For public housing, pick the developments you would accept.
4. Keep the confirmation letter. It is "the only correspondence you will receive" until your name nears the top.

The city authority's process, per its apply overview:

1. Apply online at readingha.org during the window. The September 2026 notice said "APPLICANTS MAY APPLY ONLINE"; the April 2024 notice said paper applications would not be accepted.
2. Public housing and vouchers are separate programs. Asked whether you can apply for both at the same time, RHA's FAQ answers: "No. Although both programs are administered by RHA, they are two separate programs."
3. Create a login, which you will use at portals.readingha.org to check status.

Neither agency's website describes taking applications in person.

What to have ready, per HUD's applicant page: "Income paperwork (pay stubs) and bank information," any "other forms of public assistance paperwork (SSI, SNAP, etc)," and "Proof of citizenship and Social Security Cards"; BCHA's FAQ adds proof of eligible immigration status for non-citizens. BCHA's HCV FAQ, listing what it needs from voucher holders transferring in, shows the detail it expects: 60 days of pay stubs, all pages of bank statements, photo ID for every adult and birth certificates for every child.

How you are ranked

BCHA ranks by preference points first, per its waiting list FAQ: 4 points for veterans and surviving spouses of veterans, 2 points for applicants who live or work in Berks County, and 1 point for applicants paying more than 50 percent of their income in rent. The public housing FAQ phrases the third as a preference for applicants who are "subsidized versus unsubsidized"; the Administrative Plan and Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy on the forms page are the governing documents.

Within each point level, BCHA uses one of two systems and decides which at each opening. Under a lottery, every pre-application gets a random number, the authority takes a set number in order of preference and then random number, and everyone else must reapply next time. Otherwise it accepts everyone and orders them by preference and then "by the date and time the application was received." The homepage update says positions today rest on "the date and time of application and any applicable preferences."

RHA gives two preferences, per its apply overview: veterans and veteran families who meet Pennsylvania's P.L. 2903, No. 188 standard, and families living in the City of Reading. It may run a lottery when applications exceed about 18 months of predicted unit availability, so, in the page's words, "all applicants may not be placed upon a waiting list." Its September 2026 opening used "a 1-offer policy, which means that eligible individuals are not able to select a development but will be offered the first unit for which they meet the criteria," and warned of a lottery if applications exceeded "18 months of predicted unit availability"; the 2024 notice had said 12 months.

Checking status and updating your address

BCHA's status tool is on its waiting list page: click "Check Status on Waiting List" and enter your Social Security number. The authority "cannot provide any estimate of how long you will have to wait" because positions shift daily. RHA applicants log in at portals.readingha.org, where "On List" means you are on the list and "Removed" means you are not.

The most common way to lose your place is a returned letter. BCHA communicates by mail, and if the post office returns a letter as undeliverable, "your name will be removed from the waiting list without further notice," per the FAQ. The rules:

• Report address changes to BCHA in writing within 10 business days, by letter, by fax to 610-370-2766, or in person; phone calls are not accepted. Use the change form or a letter with your name, Social Security number and old and new addresses. A post office forwarding order does not update the authority.
• Voucher applicants need only report address changes; BCHA's homepage says phone, household and income changes are verified at the initial interview, which it schedules by mail only. Public housing applicants must also report changes in who is in the household.
• BCHA periodically mails a questionnaire to confirm you still want assistance. Not returning it gets you removed.
• RHA applicants make changes through the portal.

When your name reaches the top

At BCHA, per the waiting list FAQ, you receive a packet in the mail with a full application called a Personal Declaration and a list of documents to return within a set time. The authority verifies income and assets, runs the background check on every adult, and mails a decision "usually within four to eight weeks." If you are denied, you may request an informal hearing, per the public housing FAQ.

Public housing applicants then get vacancy notices in the mail, each with the unit and an estimate of rent and deposit. You must respond to every notice; silence removes you from the list. You get one offer per development you selected, and rejecting it without good cause ends your place there. Accepting leads to a viewing and a leasing appointment where you pay the first month's rent and the deposit and sign the lease.

Voucher applicants are invited to a briefing, which BCHA runs as a conference call after you watch a 20-minute video on its HCV program page. You receive the voucher at the briefing. RHA's process page describes the same step once a household is eligible and the agency has funding.

Using the voucher

The voucher is a deadline. BCHA issues every voucher for 60 days and may grant up to 60 more at its discretion, per the HCV FAQ; after the extension date printed on the voucher it expires, and an expired voucher means reapplying the next time the list opens. RHA's portability page also gives 60 days.

Bedroom size is one bedroom for every two people at BCHA. The unit must be inside the issuing agency's territory, per the county's subsidized housing directory, and you cannot rent from a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling or spouse of anyone in the household, per BCHA.

Finding a landlord is your job. BCHA keeps no list of available units and points voucher holders to PAHousingSearch.com and AffordableHousing.com, per its available units page. PA Housing Search, which the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency's renters page points to, is free, with a bilingual call center at 1-877-428-8844, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The county directory lists private complexes in BCHA's area that accept vouchers.

Once you find a unit, per the BCHA FAQ:

1. Give the landlord the Request for Tenancy Approval form, HUD-52517, on the forms page, and return it to the authority.
2. BCHA reviews the rent for reasonableness against similar unassisted units and for affordability.
3. If the rent passes, the unit is inspected, "usually within 14 business days," by McCright & Associates, the authority's inspection contractor.
4. The unit must pass and go under contract before any subsidy is paid. Move in early and "the BCHA will NOT pay any portion of your rent."

Inspection standards are changing. A generic program bulletin posted on BCHA's HCV page, dated July 21, 2026, and labeled August 2026 there, says HUD is replacing Housing Quality Standards with NSPIRE, a single national inspection standard, for voucher programs no later than Feb. 1, 2027, and tells landlords and tenants to watch for a follow-up notice with the local date. RHA's landlord page says it already inspects under NSPIRE, before each new contract and every 12 or 24 months.

What you pay

The rule of thumb is 30 percent. BCHA's FAQ says a voucher family pays "30% of its monthly adjusted gross income for rent and utilities," and if the unit's rent is above the payment standard the family pays the difference, capped at 40 percent of adjusted income when moving into a unit. RHA's vouchers overview says "approximately 30% of their monthly income" plus any utilities the tenant pays.

The payment standard is the most the authority will pay toward rent and utilities for a given bedroom count. Both authorities set it at 100 percent of HUD's Fair Market Rent. HUD's FY 2026 figures for the Reading area are $1,086 for an efficiency, $1,237 for one bedroom, $1,575 for two, $1,937 for three and $2,085 for four, and RHA's landlord page posts those as its 2026 standards. BCHA's HCV program page carries a July 2025 letter cutting its standards from 110 to 100 percent of FMR as of July 1, 2025, with a table built on the FY 2025 rents ($928 to $2,332 for zero to six bedrooms); tenants who stay put get the lower standard at their second recertification after that date, and moves that would raise the subsidy are limited to reasonable accommodations. BCHA has not posted a 2026 table, so ask at your briefing.

For public housing, BCHA's public housing FAQ gives the formula: the highest of 30 percent of adjusted monthly income, 10 percent of gross monthly income, or a $50 minimum, after allowances of $480 per dependent, $400 for an elderly or disabled family, and certain child care and medical costs.

Moving with a voucher

A voucher can travel. BCHA's FAQ calls this portability: you may transfer to any housing authority in the country, subject to its Administrative Plan, by filing the Request for Portability form. Coming in, your current agency sends your file to hcvinfo@berksha.org and BCHA mails you a packet; delays returning it "could cause your voucher to expire." RHA aims to process a move request, in or out, within 14 business days, per its portability page. HUD says an agency "may require a family to live in their jurisdiction for first 12 months of assistance" if the family lived elsewhere when it applied, and RHA's vouchers overview says its participants "must have lived in the City of Reading for one year (with or without a voucher) before they are able to 'port' their voucher elsewhere."

Other doors in Berks County

• Veterans: HUD-VASH pairs a voucher with VA case management for homeless veterans. The VA says to start at the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, 877-424-3838. The Lebanon VA Medical Center, whose Berks County clinic is at 2762 Century Blvd. in Wyomissing per its locations page, lists a HUD-VASH social worker, Randall Haines, at Randall.Haines@va.gov on its homeless veteran care page. RHA says it receives no direct VASH funding but assists 22 veterans whose vouchers were ported in, per its special programs page. BCHA's site does not mention VASH.
• Private subsidized buildings: the county's directory lists 18 privately owned subsidized buildings, most for older adults and people with disabilities, plus 14 tax-credit buildings with reduced rents, each with its own phone number and application; the largest subsidized ones are Jamestown Village (275 units, applicants 18 and older) and Reading Elderly Housing (201 units).
• Homeless or facing eviction: the county's Homeless Assistance Program serves households at or below 200 percent of the poverty line; call the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness at 610-372-7222. BCHA's FAQ sends people in crisis there and to BCAP at 610-376-6571; RHA's apply overview page refers only to the coalition. Our shelter guide covers the beds and the Coordinated Entry list.
• Help with the bills while you wait: our guides to LIHEAP, the County Assistance Office and the Property Tax/Rent Rebate. City renters can check whether a unit holds a current permit through our guide to Reading's rental permit program.

Where the official sources disagree

• BCHA office hours. The homepage and contact page give "new days and hours": Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to noon for walk-ins and 12:30 to 5 p.m. by appointment, closed Fridays. The waiting list FAQ, HCV FAQ and the county directory still say Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; PA 211 says Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go in the morning or call first.
• RHA offices. RHA's apply overview says to apply online and gives no office address in its text (the site footer carries 400 Hancock Blvd.). The May 6, 2026 release moves the voucher office to 502 McClellan St., 3rd floor, and makes 400 Hancock Blvd. the Compliance Department that assists applicants, while the voucher programs and contact pages still say 400 Hancock. The county directory says applications are accepted at Tenant Placement in the Rhodes Apartments, 815 Franklin St., 610-372-3933, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. RHA publishes no office hours. Call 610-775-4813 first.
• RHA voucher phone. The voucher programs page prints 610-373-5088, but its click-to-call link dials 610-373-5099.
• BCHA application route. Its application page says "by mail or online"; its PA 211 listing says online only, with a phone option for people whose disability prevents it.

FAQ

How long is the Section 8 waiting list in Berks County?

Neither authority will say. BCHA says it cannot estimate because positions change daily, and the wait differs by development and bedroom size. RHA's vouchers overview says households selected for its lists "may wait a year or more" before being contacted.

Can I apply to both the county and city housing authorities?

Yes, when each is open; they are separate agencies, and HUD says "you may need to apply to multiple Public Housing Agency waitlists." You do not have to live in an agency's area to apply, but HUD says an agency "may require" a family that lived elsewhere when it applied to rent inside its area for the first 12 months, and RHA requires a year in the city before porting out.

Do I have to be a citizen to get Section 8 in Berks County?

No. You must have eligible immigration status, declare it for everyone in the household at the eligibility interview and show proof. The head of household needs a valid Social Security number, per HUD.

How do I check my Berks County Housing Authority waiting list status?

Use the "Check Status on Waiting List" button on BCHA's waiting list page and enter your Social Security number. City applicants log in at portals.readingha.org. If you moved, tell the authority in writing; the status tool will not do it for you.

Does the housing authority have emergency housing?

No. Both authorities say so. BCHA's FAQ sends callers to the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness at 610-372-7222 and to BCAP at 610-376-6571; RHA's apply overview page refers only to the coalition, which runs the county's Coordinated Entry list, as our shelter guide explains. For a bed tonight, dial 211.

Sources

• Berks County Housing Authority: homepage, Waiting List/Application Process, Waiting List FAQ, HCV Section 8 FAQ, HCV Section 8 Program, the NSPIRE Transition Notice, Public Housing FAQ, Public Housing Developments, Managed Properties, Our Profile, Contact, Board, Forms and Policies, the waiting list change form, HCV Available Units and Landlords Program.
• Reading Housing Authority: homepage, Apply Overview, Voucher Programs, Vouchers Overview, Process, Landlords, Portability, Project-Based Voucher, Special Programs, Executive Team, Contact Us and press releases of Aug. 24, 2026 (waiting list opening), May 6, 2026 (office changes), Aug. 30, 2026 (annual planning) and April 15, 2024 (waiting list opening).
• County of Berks: Subsidized Housing directory, February 2026 and Homeless Assistance Program.
• HUD: Housing Choice Voucher Applicant and Tenant Resources, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, Reading, PA MSA, the FY 2026 Section 8 income limits spreadsheet and the Income Limits dataset.
• Veterans: VA HUD-VASH, VA Lebanon Homeless Veteran care and VA Lebanon locations.
• State: PHFA Renters and PAHousingSearch.com.
• Other: PA 211 listing for BCHA; WFMZ, Feb. 6, 2023, Waiting lists for Berks public housing to open later this month.

Berks County Housing Authority: Richard B. Delp Townhouses, 1803 Butter Lane, Reading, PA 19606; 610-370-0822, fax 610-370-2766; contact@berksha.org, voucher questions HCVinfo@berksha.org; Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to noon for walk-ins and 12:30 to 5 p.m. by appointment, closed Fridays (the authority's FAQ pages still list Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.); board meets the fourth Wednesday at 4 p.m., with Nov. 18 and Dec. 16, 2026, on the third Wednesday. Reading Housing Authority: Willis Center for Administration, 400 Hancock Blvd., Reading, PA 19611 (now the Compliance Department, which assists applicants, per the May 2026 release); 610-775-4813, info@readingha.org. Voucher Programs Office: 502 McClellan St., 3rd floor, Reading, PA 19611, per the May 2026 release (the website still says 400 Hancock Blvd.); 610-373-5088, vouchers@readingha.org. Hours not published. Corrections: corrections@berksbeat.com.