Walla Walla closes housing voucher waitlist for the first time

The Walla Walla Housing Authority closed its waitlist for Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8, earlier this month. Though other cities, like Portland and Spokane, have had their waitlists mostly closed for years, this is the first time Walla Walla has done so. 

The housing authority said that rising rents are mainly to blame. The agency has a limited pool of money — and given that area rents have roughly doubled over the past decade, it’s been able to house fewer people.

To reduce both client expectations and administrative burdens, the agency decided to stop adding names to its list of roughly 1,200 people. 

“ I lost sleep over it,” said Renee Rooker, the executive director of the Walla Walla Housing Authority. “It doesn’t feel good because we, as an organization, are here to house people.” 

Housing Choice Vouchers allow people to select their own apartments or houses, with their rent partially paid by the government. 

In Walla Walla, Rooker said these vouchers are mostly held by seniors or people with disabilities. If the proposed federal budget is passed — which would cut rental aid by 40% — Rooker said that some residents would lose the vouchers they already have. 

“ I never thought I would have this experience in my career,” Rooker said. “We’ve had large waitlists, but we’ve also had the money to be able to house people. The funding source and the rental increases and income decreases just aren’t keeping up.”

As for those hoping for a voucher, Rooker doesn’t think her agency will be able to pull a single person off the waitlist this year. 

“My heart goes out to the families we can’t serve,” she said. “I wish I had a money tree. I don’t.”