Last updated 2026-07-09
TL;DR
The Housing Authority of Savannah (HAS) runs the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program and public housing for Chatham County, Georgia. The voucher waitlist opens in short bursts and can stay closed for years. Payment standards, inspections, and portability all follow HUD's 24 CFR Part 982 rules, with local numbers HAS sets each year.
What is the Housing Authority of Savannah and what programs does it run?
The Housing Authority of Savannah (HAS) is a local public housing agency (PHA) created under Georgia state law and funded mostly through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [1]. It has run since 1937, which makes it one of Georgia's oldest PHAs. HAS serves Chatham County, which covers Savannah and the towns around it.
HAS runs two main programs. The first is public housing, where HAS owns and manages the units directly and low-income families pay an income-based rent. The second is the Housing Choice Voucher program, usually called Section 8, where HAS pays a subsidy straight to private landlords and tenants rent on the open market [2]. The voucher side is bigger by budget. HAS also runs special-purpose voucher types: Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers, Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers, and project-based vouchers tied to specific Savannah properties.
A Board of Commissioners governs HAS, and the agency operates under an Annual Plan it submits to HUD each year. That plan sets admission policies, payment standards, and any local waitlist preferences. You can request the current Annual Plan from HAS or find it in HUD's PHA Plans database.
Is the HAS Section 8 waitlist open right now?
You have to check with HAS directly, because the waitlist opens and closes on no fixed schedule. Openings track voucher funding and how many current families leave the program. There's no calendar you can count on.
HAS has kept its Housing Choice Voucher waitlist closed for long stretches, sometimes years. When it opens, the window is often short, sometimes 72 hours or less, and it fills fast. HUD's most recent Picture of Subsidized Households data shows HAS serving roughly 2,500 to 3,000 voucher households in a given year, which tells you the scale of the program [3].
Here's how to catch an opening. Check the HAS website, call the main office line, and get on any notification list the agency runs. You can also watch HUD's resource locator at HUD.gov and the open Section 8 waiting lists tracker sites, though those tend to lag behind the real opening by a day or two.
When the list is open, you submit a pre-application online through the HAS portal. Have your household basics ready: names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, income sources, and current address. A pre-application does not guarantee a spot. HAS uses either a lottery or date-and-time order, depending on the policy in force that cycle.
Who qualifies for a Section 8 voucher through HAS?
HUD sets the floor for eligibility, and HAS layers local preferences on top of it [2]. Three federal rules do most of the work: citizenship or eligible noncitizen status for at least one household member, income at or below the limit, and no lifetime sex-offender registration for anyone in the household.
The income test uses 50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) for the Savannah-Hinesville-Statesboro area. HUD also requires HAS to give 75 percent of new vouchers each year to households at or below 30 percent of AMI [2].
For 2024, HUD set the Savannah MSA income limits like this [4]:
| Household Size | 30% AMI (Extremely Low) | 50% AMI (Very Low) | 80% AMI (Low) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $17,200 | $28,650 | $45,850 |
| 2 persons | $19,650 | $32,750 | $52,400 |
| 3 persons | $22,100 | $36,800 | $58,950 |
| 4 persons | $26,200 | $40,900 | $65,450 |
| 5 persons | $28,300 | $44,200 | $70,700 |
These numbers change every year. Confirm the current figures at HUD's income limits page at HUD.gov [4].
HAS can also apply local preferences that move some applicants up the list. Preferences it has used before include Savannah and Chatham County residents or workers, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and domestic violence survivors. Read the current Administrative Plan for the active list, because preferences shift over time.
What are the HAS payment standards and how do they affect rent?
A payment standard is the most HAS will pay toward rent plus utilities for a given unit size [5]. HAS sets it as a percentage of HUD's published Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for the Savannah area. A PHA can set standards anywhere from 90 to 110 percent of FMR without HUD sign-off, and it can request exception rents up to 120 percent in high-cost areas.
HUD's FY2024 FMRs for the Savannah, GA HUD Metro FMR Area were [6]:
| Bedroom Size | FY2024 Fair Market Rent |
|---|---|
| Efficiency (0BR) | $966 |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,043 |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,256 |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,647 |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,907 |
Here's how the tenant share works. You pay the gap between the actual rent and the payment standard, or 30 percent of your adjusted monthly income if that comes out higher. At initial lease-up, you can never be pushed above 40 percent of adjusted monthly income [5].
That 40 percent cap is the safety valve. If a landlord's rent sits at or below the payment standard, the math usually works out fine. If the rent runs above it, you cover the difference out of pocket, and a unit can get unaffordable in a hurry. The cap keeps you from signing a lease you can't carry.
Payment standards get updated most years. The figures above reflect HUD's FMR data, and HAS's actual standards may run a little different. Call HAS for the current numbers before you shop.
How does the HAS Housing Choice Voucher process work from application to lease?
The trip from pre-application to move-in takes longer than most people expect. Here's the usual flow at HAS.
You submit a pre-application during an open waitlist window. HAS logs your date and time (or your lottery position) and sends a confirmation. Then you wait, sometimes a long time. When your name comes up, HAS contacts you to finish the full application, which documents income, assets, household composition, and rental history. HAS verifies all of it through third parties.
Found eligible? HAS issues a voucher with an expiration date, usually 60 days, sometimes extended to 120 [5]. Now you hunt for a unit on the private market that meets HUD's Housing Quality Standards (HQS), has a landlord willing to participate, and rents reasonably compared to unassisted units nearby.
Once you find a place, you submit a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) to HAS. HAS checks the proposed rent for reasonableness and schedules an HQS inspection. The unit has to pass before HAS signs a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract with the landlord. Only then does the subsidy kick in and you move in.
HAS inspects before assistance starts, then at least once a year after that [7]. A failed inspection puts the landlord on a repair clock. Miss the deadline and HAS can abate (stop) the HAP payments.
From voucher issuance to move-in, four to eight weeks is typical if nothing snags. Failed inspections or a slow landlord stretch it out. Nobody publishes good HAS-specific timeline data, but that range matches what most mid-sized PHAs report.
What do landlords need to know about renting to HAS voucher holders?
Landlords get a lot wrong about vouchers, so here's the straight picture. Georgia has no statewide source-of-income protection law as of mid-2025, so Savannah landlords are generally not required to accept vouchers [8]. Participation is voluntary.
Plenty of landlords take vouchers anyway, and the reason is money that shows up on time. A large chunk of the rent, often 70 to 80 percent of the total, comes straight from HAS on a predictable schedule.
To participate, you sign a HAP contract with HAS for each unit, renewed with each new lease term, usually every year. You set the rent, but HAS runs a rent reasonableness test against similar unassisted units nearby. If the rent doesn't clear that test, you negotiate or the tenant walks.
The HAP contract lays out your obligations: keep the unit at HQS standards, give proper notice before entry, don't charge the tenant for anything the HAP already covers, and follow fair housing law [7]. HAS can end the contract if you let the unit fall below standard.
One thing landlords miss. The HAP payment goes to you, and the tenant pays their share directly to you too. If the tenant stops paying their portion, that's a normal landlord-tenant matter under Georgia eviction law. HAS does not backstop the tenant's share.
If you want visibility, tools like Go Section 8 and Section 8 houses for rent directories help you list units, though HAS keeps its own landlord referral list. For a step-by-step checklist on the HAP contract, inspection prep, and rent-setting, the VoucherReady landlord kit puts it in one place.
What happens at a HAS housing inspection and what can fail?
HAS inspectors use HUD's Housing Quality Standards (HQS), written into 24 CFR 982.401, as their baseline [7]. Every unit has to meet these standards before assistance begins and again at each annual inspection.
HQS covers thirteen performance areas: sanitary facilities, food preparation and refuse disposal, space and security, thermal environment, illumination and electricity, structure and materials, interior air quality, water supply, lead-based paint (for pre-1978 units with children under 6), access, site and neighborhood conditions, sanitary conditions, and smoke detectors.
The common Savannah failures are cheap to fix: missing or dead smoke detectors, windows that won't lock or have broken glass, peeling paint in pre-1978 units, plumbing leaks, heating or cooling that doesn't run, and missing outlet covers. What actually kills deals is the expensive stuff, like structural damage, a failing roof, or an HVAC system that needs full replacement.
When a unit fails, HAS sets a repair timeline. Minor items might get 30 days. Life-threatening ones, like no heat in winter or a gas leak, require correction within 24 hours. Miss the deadline and HAS abates the HAP payment, which means the landlord gets nothing until the repairs happen. Drag it out and HAS can terminate the contract, then help the tenant find another unit.
Tenants can also file a complaint for an interim inspection if the unit has gone downhill between annual cycles. HAS investigates. Landlords who keep failing can be barred from the program.
Can you port a HAS voucher to another city or use a voucher from elsewhere in Savannah?
Yes to both, with conditions. Portability runs on 24 CFR 982.353 and 982.355 [5].
If you hold a HAS voucher and want to move outside Chatham County, you first have to clear HAS's initial lease-up rule: you must lease a unit with your HAS voucher for at least 12 months before you can port [5]. Domestic violence survivors get exceptions, and some families who already lived in the target jurisdiction when they applied can port right away.
To port out, you tell HAS in writing that you plan to move, and you give the receiving PHA's contact info. HAS sends a portability packet. The receiving PHA either bills HAS (HAS keeps administrative responsibility and reimburses) or absorbs the voucher into its own program. Not every PHA absorbs easily. Some are at or over their funding capacity and won't.
Coming the other way works too. If you hold a voucher from another PHA and want to move to Savannah, you port in to HAS, and HAS must accept the port if it has funding capacity. Confirm HAS's current portability and absorption status with the agency, since that shifts with each funding cycle.
For how portability works nationally, the Moving and porting section here has the full rundown. If you're stuck finding a unit after porting, Rental assistance options outside vouchers exist too.
What public housing does HAS operate in Savannah?
HAS owns and manages several public housing communities in Savannah. These are separate from the voucher program. Here HAS is the landlord, and residents pay 30 percent of adjusted gross income as rent, with nothing forced above zero for zero-income households.
HAS's portfolio has included properties on the Westside, Eastside, and in downtown Savannah. Some of these have gone through HOPE VI or Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) conversions in recent years, which change the subsidy from traditional public housing to project-based Section 8, often with a private management partner [11]. RAD conversions don't strip tenant rights: the same HUD protections carry over, and residents have the right to return after renovation.
Waiting lists for specific developments are separate from the HCV waitlist. Some developments move faster than others depending on unit type and family size. Seniors should also look at HAS's elderly and disabled properties, and separately at the Low Income Housing Tax Credit properties spread across Chatham County LIHTC at.
Ask HAS which developments have open lists right now and what vacancies look like. This changes faster than any website can keep up with.
What are your rights as a HAS voucher tenant?
Voucher holders sit inside three layers of protection: federal law, HAS policy, and Georgia landlord-tenant law.
On the federal side, 24 CFR Part 982 gives you a written lease, the right to an informal hearing if HAS moves to terminate your assistance, the right to a pre-move-in inspection, and the right to move with your voucher after you clear the initial lease-up rule [5]. HAS has to give you adequate notice before ending assistance and follow its own grievance procedures.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) adds more. If you're a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, HAS cannot terminate your assistance over incidents tied to the abuse, and you have the right to an emergency transfer to a different unit [9]. HUD's VAWA guidance states that a survivor "may not be denied assistance, tenancy, or occupancy rights" on the basis of that violence.
Under fair housing law, HAS and private landlords cannot discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability [10]. Georgia does not add source of income as a protected class statewide, but HAS's own policies bar it from discriminating in how it runs the program.
If HAS proposes to terminate your voucher, request an informal hearing within the deadline the termination notice gives you. Bring documentation. Lose the hearing and you can appeal in court, though that's slow and costs money. Legal aid through the Georgia Legal Services Program (for rural areas) or the Atlanta Legal Aid Society's Savannah office may represent income-qualifying tenants for free.
For the full picture, the tenant rights section of VoucherReady walks through the hearing process, VAWA protections, and how to file a HUD complaint.
How does HAS handle annual recertifications?
Once a year, HAS makes voucher holders recertify their household composition and income. This is not optional. Miss the deadline and you can lose the voucher.
HAS usually mails a recertification notice 90 to 120 days before your anniversary date. You report all current income for every adult in the household, any changes in who lives there (new people, people who left, new children), and current assets. HAS verifies through third-party sources, including employers, the Social Security Administration, and state wage records.
After recertification, HAS recalculates your Total Tenant Payment (TTP) and adjusts the subsidy. Income up, your share goes up. Income down, the subsidy usually rises. Changes take effect on your next annual date.
Interim recertifications happen between the annual ones. You have to report income increases above a set threshold (often $200 a month or more, sustained) within 10 days. You can also report a drop in income voluntarily to get your TTP lowered sooner. HAS's Administrative Plan spells out the exact reporting rules. Read it. It matters.
Missing your recertification appointment or failing to hand over requested documents is one of the top reasons vouchers get terminated. If you get a notice and life is a mess, call HAS right away and ask for an extension. Most caseworkers will work with a reasonable request before it escalates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the phone number and address for the Housing Authority of Savannah?
The Housing Authority of Savannah is at 1407 Drayton Street, Savannah, GA 31401, and the main phone number is (912) 721-3500. Hours and department contacts change, so confirm current details on the official HAS website before you go. Walk-in availability varies, and many services moved to scheduled appointments or online portals after 2020.
How long is the HAS Section 8 waitlist wait time?
HAS doesn't publish a formal estimate. The list stays closed most of the time, and HAS serves roughly 2,500 to 3,000 voucher households in a city with heavy demand, so waits of two to five years or longer after an opening are plausible. There's no reliable public data on HAS-specific average waits. Ask HAS directly what their current estimate is for newly selected applicants.
Can I use a HAS voucher to rent anywhere in Savannah?
Yes, within Chatham County, subject to two conditions: the unit must pass an HQS inspection, and the rent must pass HAS's reasonableness test. You can rent a house, apartment, condo, or townhome from a private landlord. The landlord has to be willing to participate and sign a HAP contract with HAS. HAS keeps a landlord list, and sites like Go Section 8 list area units.
Does HAS offer emergency housing vouchers?
HAS received Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, aimed at people experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or recently exited from foster care. Those came through a one-time HUD program. Whether any EHVs remain or new emergency programs are active takes direct confirmation with HAS, since allocations change. Contact the Savannah-Chatham Continuum of Care for homeless referral pathways.
What is the difference between HAS public housing and a Section 8 voucher?
In public housing, HAS owns the unit and you pay 30 percent of adjusted income directly to HAS. With a Section 8 voucher, you rent from a private landlord, pay your share (usually 30 percent of adjusted income) to that landlord, and HAS pays the rest. Vouchers give you more choice in where you live. Public housing means living in a HAS-managed property, but there's no unit search on you.
Can a landlord refuse to rent to someone with a HAS Section 8 voucher in Savannah?
Under current Georgia law, yes. Georgia has no statewide source-of-income anti-discrimination protection for housing, so Savannah landlords can generally decline voucher tenants without breaking state law. Federal fair housing law still bans discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, familial status, or disability. A landlord cannot use voucher refusal as a cover for discrimination on those protected bases.
What happens if my HAS voucher expires before I find a unit?
HAS issues vouchers with a 60-day search period, extendable up to 120 days at HAS's discretion. If the hunt is going slow, contact HAS before the deadline and ask for an extension, citing specific search efforts. If the voucher expires first, you lose the subsidy and would have to re-enter the waitlist. Extensions come easier when you can document that you've been actively searching.
How do I report a problem with my HAS landlord or unsafe housing conditions?
Contact HAS directly and request an interim inspection. HAS has to investigate housing quality complaints and can order repairs or abate HAP payments. You can also call Savannah's Code Enforcement Division for local building code violations, which works independently of HAS. For serious issues involving discrimination or retaliation, HUD takes fair housing complaints at HUD.gov and by phone at (800) 669-9777.
Are there other rental assistance programs in Savannah beyond HAS Section 8?
Yes. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) runs a statewide Housing Choice Voucher program covering areas some local PHAs don't. There are also LIHTC affordable complexes across Chatham County, USDA Rural Development rental assistance for qualifying rural areas, and the Savannah Area Rapid Rehousing program for people exiting homelessness. The City of Savannah and United Way of the Coastal Empire also coordinate short-term rental assistance funds.
Can seniors or people with disabilities get priority on the HAS waitlist?
HAS may apply local preferences for elderly or disabled households. Preferences live in HAS's Administrative Plan, which can change each year. There are also HUD-funded Section 202 properties (for seniors) and Section 811 properties (for people with disabilities) in the Savannah area with separate applications, apart from the HAS HCV waitlist. Ask HAS about elderly and disabled preferences, and separately research 202 and 811 inventory in Chatham County.
How is my Section 8 rent share calculated by HAS?
HAS calculates your Total Tenant Payment (TTP) as the highest of: 30 percent of adjusted monthly income, 10 percent of gross monthly income, or the welfare rent if it applies. The minimum TTP is usually $25 unless your income is zero. Your actual share on a unit equals the contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities minus the HAS payment standard subsidy, never less than your TTP and capped at 40 percent of adjusted income at initial lease-up per 24 CFR 982.508.
What is the HAS Administrative Plan and how do I get a copy?
The Administrative Plan is HAS's operational rulebook for the HCV program. It covers admission preferences, payment standards, portability, termination procedures, and more. HAS has to make it available for public inspection. Request a copy from HAS's main office, and check the website, since some PHAs post it. HUD's PHA Plans database at HUD.gov also holds HAS's Annual Plans, which summarize the key policies.
Does HAS offer homeownership vouchers?
HUD's Homeownership Voucher program (24 CFR 982.625) lets eligible voucher holders put the subsidy toward a mortgage instead of rent. Whether HAS runs it depends on its current Administrative Plan and funding. Not every PHA offers an active homeownership program. Contact HAS to ask if the option is open right now and what the requirements are, since minimum income and employment rules apply.
Sources
- HUD, Public and Indian Housing: HAS is a local PHA funded primarily through HUD's Public and Indian Housing programs, authorized under federal and state law.
- HUD, Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8): HUD requires that 75 percent of new vouchers annually go to households at or below 30 percent of AMI; Section 8 eligibility is capped at 50 percent of AMI.
- HUD User, Picture of Subsidized Households: HUD's Picture of Subsidized Households data provides annual counts of voucher households served by each PHA, including HAS.
- HUD User, Income Limits Documentation System (FY2024): FY2024 income limits for the Savannah, GA HUD Metro FMR Area: 30% AMI for a family of four is $26,200; 50% AMI is $40,900.
- Code of Federal Regulations, 24 CFR Part 982 (Housing Choice Voucher Program): 24 CFR 982 governs payment standards, search periods (60 days standard, extendable), the 40 percent rent-to-income cap at initial lease-up (982.508), and portability requirements (982.353, 982.355).
- HUD User, Fair Market Rents Documentation System (FY2024): FY2024 Fair Market Rents for the Savannah, GA HUD Metro FMR Area: 1BR $1,043; 2BR $1,256; 3BR $1,647.
- Code of Federal Regulations, 24 CFR 982.401 (Housing Quality Standards): 24 CFR 982.401 establishes the thirteen HQS performance areas all HCV units must meet before assistance begins and at annual inspections.
- National Conference of State Legislatures, Source of Income Protections: Georgia does not have a statewide source-of-income anti-discrimination law protecting voucher holders from landlord refusals.
- HUD, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA): VAWA prohibits PHAs from terminating voucher assistance based on incidents of domestic violence and gives survivors the right to an emergency transfer; a survivor may not be denied assistance, tenancy, or occupancy rights on the basis of that violence.
- HUD, Fair Housing Act: The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability by landlords and PHAs.
- HUD, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD): RAD conversions shift traditional public housing subsidy to project-based Section 8 contracts; tenant rights protections are preserved and tenants have the right to return after renovation.