The Chicago Housing Authority’s former Section 8/Voucher program has been renamed “RentBetter”. Beginning April 17, low and moderate-income families living in Cook County can apply to be placed on a new, lottery-based waiting list in which 40,000 families will be randomly chosen to pay only 30 to 40 percent of their adjusted income in rent.  The deadline for lottery registrations is Thursday, May 15. A computer-generated notification will be mailed to applicants chosen for the waiting list. The list can take anywhere from five months to five years.

To qualify, applicants must be a U.S. Citizen or have legal status, be 18 years or older and meet income requirements. There is no fee for the application, which can also be filed online at Chicago Housing Authority.

Hard copy applications are available at any Chicago Public Library or Chicago Park District, but are not available in the suburbs at this time. Once approval and denial notifications are sent, families can contact RentBetter at (312) 786-3676 with questions.