Last updated 2026-07-09
TL;DR
The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) runs the Housing Choice Voucher program across Bexar County. It serves roughly 14,000 voucher households, sets local payment standards tied to HUD's Fair Market Rents, and opens its waitlist by random lottery. That waitlist is closed as of mid-2025. Watch SAHA's official site (saha.org) for the next opening, and apply to nearby PHAs meanwhile.
What is the San Antonio Housing Authority and what does it actually do?
The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) is a public housing agency chartered under Texas law and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [1]. It runs three main programs: the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program (what most people call Section 8), public housing developments it owns directly, and a set of mixed-income communities built with Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
On the voucher side, SAHA is the issuing agency. It takes applications, manages the waitlist, runs eligibility interviews, sets payment standards, inspects units, and pays landlords the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) each month. The tenant covers whatever's left of the rent. SAHA pays its share straight to the landlord under the HAP contract. This is the same setup you'd find at any housing authority in the country, governed by 24 CFR Part 982 [2].
SAHA's jurisdiction covers the City of San Antonio and parts of Bexar County. Its headquarters is at 818 S. Flores Street, San Antonio, TX 78204. Already hold a voucher from another city or county? You may be able to port it to San Antonio, which we cover further down.
How many people does SAHA serve with vouchers?
SAHA administers roughly 14,000 Housing Choice Vouchers, which puts it among the larger PHAs in Texas [3]. Its broader portfolio, counting public housing, serves over 18,000 households in total [3].
Demand for vouchers in San Antonio far outruns supply. The city has grown faster than almost any other major U.S. metro over the past decade, and rent growth in Bexar County has squeezed the affordable housing market hard. That gap is why waitlists stretch for years once they open.
San Bernardino County in California faces the same mismatch: its housing authority administers around 7,500 vouchers against a much larger eligible population, and its lists have stayed closed for long stretches too. Demand swamping voucher supply is a national reality, not a local failure of any one agency.
Is the SAHA Section 8 waitlist open right now?
No. As of mid-2025, SAHA's Housing Choice Voucher waitlist is closed [4]. There's no rolling application. When SAHA can serve more households, it opens the waitlist for a short window (often just a few days) and picks applicants by random lottery from everyone who applied during that window.
The last big opening pulled tens of thousands of applicants for a fraction of the slots. Nobody has reliable data on when the next opening lands, because it depends on voucher turnover and HUD funding, both of which shift year to year.
Here's what you can actually do right now:
- Check SAHA's official site (saha.org) and sign up for email alerts.
- Apply to other PHAs in the region. Housing authorities in surrounding counties (Guadalupe, Comal, Medina) may have open lists.
- Look at open Section 8 waiting lists across Texas. Some PHAs take applications from anywhere in the state.
- Explore rental assistance programs outside the voucher system, including LIHTC properties and project-based Section 8 buildings where you apply to the building, not a PHA waitlist.
When SAHA does open, word goes out on its website, the city's social media channels, and often local news. Miss the window by a day and you're waiting for the next one.
What are SAHA's income limits and eligibility requirements?
Eligibility for SAHA vouchers follows HUD rules [2]. The basics:
Income. Your household's gross annual income has to be at or below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro. HUD calls this the "very low income" limit. By law, at least 75% of new vouchers each year go to households at or below 30% AMI (the "extremely low income" limit) [2].
HUD publishes income limits every year. For fiscal year 2025, the 50% AMI threshold for a family of four in the San Antonio metro ran around $40,650, and the 30% limit around $24,400 [1]. Those numbers change annually and vary by family size, so check HUD's current income limits at hud.gov before you assume anything.
Citizenship and immigration status. At least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen. Mixed-status families can still qualify, with assistance prorated.
Criminal history. HUD gives PHAs a lot of discretion here. SAHA, like most large agencies, screens for certain convictions. Two are mandatory denials under federal law: drug manufacturing on federal housing premises and lifetime sex offender registry status [2]. Policies on other convictions vary and have been revised over time.
Prior housing assistance history. If another PHA terminated your voucher for cause and you still owe money, SAHA will likely deny your application until that debt is cleared.
Preference categories. SAHA awards local preferences to households displaced by government action, living in substandard housing, or paying more than 50% of income toward rent. Veterans may also qualify for preference under the VASH program.
What are SAHA's payment standards and how do they affect your rent?
A payment standard is the most SAHA will pay toward a given unit size, counting both the tenant and housing authority portions. SAHA sets it as a percentage of HUD's published Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for the San Antonio area. PHAs can set standards from 90% to 110% of FMR without HUD approval, or up to 120% with approval [2].
HUD's FY 2025 Fair Market Rents for the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro were:
| Bedroom Size | HUD FMR (FY 2025) |
|---|---|
| SRO (0-BR) | $857 |
| 1 BR | $1,057 |
| 2 BR | $1,297 |
| 3 BR | $1,714 |
| 4 BR | $2,053 |
SAHA's actual payment standards may differ from these FMR figures, since the agency can adjust them [5]. Check SAHA's current payment standard schedule before you sign any lease.
Here's how it plays out. Say the rent on a 2-BR is $1,400 and SAHA's payment standard for a 2-BR is $1,297. SAHA won't pay more than $1,297 minus the tenant's Total Tenant Payment (TTP). The tenant covers the gap. But if the payment standard plus your TTP covers the full rent, you pay only your TTP. On initial lease-up, tenants can't pay more than 40% of adjusted monthly income [2].
For the housing section 8 program to work well for you as a tenant, the single most useful thing to get from SAHA is the payment standard, before you ever start apartment hunting.
How does the SAHA inspection process work?
Before SAHA pays a landlord a cent, the unit has to pass a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection [2]. Inspectors check that the place meets HUD's minimum health and safety bar: working heat and plumbing, no lead-based paint hazards (for units built before 1978), functioning smoke detectors, no major structural problems.
The process runs roughly like this:
1. Tenant finds a unit and the landlord agrees to participate. 2. Landlord submits a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) to SAHA. 3. SAHA reviews the rent for reasonableness against comparable unassisted units nearby. 4. SAHA schedules the HQS inspection, usually within a few weeks of the RFTA. 5. If it passes, SAHA signs the HAP contract with the landlord and the lease begins. 6. If it fails, the landlord gets a set period to make repairs. If repairs don't happen in time, the tenant may have to find another unit.
Inspections recur every year while the HAP contract is active. A failed annual inspection can trigger an abatement, meaning SAHA stops paying the landlord until repairs are made. And you're not required to stay in a unit that keeps failing inspection.
For more on what inspectors actually check, HUD housing rules at 24 CFR 982.401 list every HQS standard in detail [2].
How do landlords sign up to accept SAHA vouchers?
Landlords don't pre-register with SAHA. The process starts when a voucher holder brings you an RFTA packet. That's when you decide whether to participate.
Here's what landlords need to know upfront:
Texas has no statewide source-of-income protection. Unlike California, where the San Bernardino County Housing Authority operates under stronger tenant protections, Texas law doesn't stop landlords from refusing tenants based on voucher status [6]. Landlords in San Antonio can legally decline voucher holders. That said, the City of San Antonio passed a local ordinance in 2020 banning source-of-income discrimination by landlords inside city limits [7]. Enforcement has been uneven and legal challenges have happened, so landlords operating inside the city should know the rule exists.
Rent reasonableness. SAHA has to find your proposed rent reasonable against unassisted comparable units nearby. Price above market and SAHA won't approve it.
HAP contract. Once a unit passes inspection, you sign a HAP contract with SAHA that runs alongside the lease. SAHA pays its share directly to you, usually by direct deposit. Those payments are generally reliable and on time, which is one of the real perks of participating.
Annual inspections. Keep the unit in HQS condition year-round. Failed inspections mean payment abatement until you fix the problems.
Landlords who want a practical checklist before submitting their first RFTA will find the housing choice voucher program overview useful, and VoucherReady's landlord kit walks through every form in the packet so nothing slips at the inspection stage.
Can you port a voucher to or from San Antonio?
Yes. Portability is a federal right under the HCV program [2]. If you've held a SAHA voucher for at least 12 months (or you're moving to be closer to a job), you can port it to another PHA's jurisdiction. And if you hold a voucher from another city, including the San Bernardino Housing Authority or the San Bernardino County Housing Authority in California, you can port it to San Antonio.
The mechanics: your current PHA (the "initial PHA") sends your file to SAHA (the "receiving PHA"). SAHA can either absorb your voucher into its own program or bill your initial PHA for the cost. Which one happens depends on SAHA's funding at the time.
One practical wrinkle. When you port into San Antonio's tight rental market, your voucher's payment standard doesn't transfer automatically. SAHA applies its own standards once it absorbs you. If you're being billed instead, your initial PHA's standard applies, which can get messy when the two amounts differ by a lot.
Notify both PHAs in writing before you move. Miss the notification deadline and you can lose your voucher. The full portability rules sit at 24 CFR 982.355 [2].
What other housing programs does SAHA run besides vouchers?
SAHA runs a portfolio well beyond the HCV program.
Public housing. SAHA owns and manages several public housing developments across San Antonio, including Alazan-Apache Courts. Rents and eligibility for public housing are figured differently from vouchers, and you apply to the development directly.
HUD-VASH. The Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program pairs HCV vouchers with VA case management for homeless veterans [1]. SAHA gets annual VASH allocations. Veterans should contact the local VA medical center as the entry point, not SAHA directly.
Moving to Work (MTW). SAHA is an MTW agency, which matters. MTW agencies have HUD-granted flexibility to change certain program rules, set their own payment standard methods, and run pilots that standard PHAs can't [1]. So some SAHA policies may work differently from the standard HCV rulebook. Always confirm current SAHA-specific rules with the agency.
Project-based vouchers. SAHA attaches some vouchers to specific units at designated properties. You apply to the property rather than getting a portable voucher. These waitlists sometimes move faster than the tenant-based list.
Mainstream vouchers. HUD funds dedicated vouchers for non-elderly people with disabilities. SAHA gets these allocations periodically. If you or a household member has a disability, ask SAHA specifically about Mainstream voucher availability.
For tenants nowhere near the top of any voucher waitlist, low income senior housing properties in San Antonio accept SAHA project-based vouchers and may run separate waitlists worth checking.
How do SAHA's programs compare to what other large Texas PHAs offer?
Comparing PHAs matters if you can pick where you live, or if you're weighing whether to port your voucher.
| Agency | Est. HCV Households Served | MTW Status | Waitlist Status (mid-2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) | ~14,000 | Yes | Closed |
| Houston Housing Authority (HHA) | ~19,000 | Yes | Closed |
| Dallas Housing Authority (DHA) | ~19,000 | Yes | Closed |
| Fort Worth Housing Solutions (FWHS) | ~7,000 | No | Closed |
| Austin Housing Authority (AHA) | ~6,500 | No | Closed |
Almost every major Texas PHA runs a closed waitlist right now. That reflects a national undersupply of voucher funding against the number of eligible households. HUD has estimated that only about 1 in 4 eligible households nationally gets any form of federal rental assistance [10].
The main reason to compare across PHAs is portability strategy. Land at the top of a waitlist in a smaller Texas city, hold the voucher 12 months, and you can potentially port it to San Antonio. Smaller PHAs in less competitive markets sometimes have shorter waitlists.
Where can tenants find SAHA-approved units right now?
SAHA doesn't keep its own listing database of available units, which is a real gap. Voucher holders have to find their own housing. That's how the tenant-based voucher system works.
Practical places to search:
- HUD's resource locator at hud.gov lets you search by ZIP code for properties with project-based assistance. Those are separate from tenant-based vouchers but useful while you're still on the waitlist.
- Go Section 8 (goSection8.com) lists landlords who advertise that they take vouchers. Coverage in San Antonio is decent.
- Section 8 houses for rent listings on Zillow, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace, filtered for voucher-friendly mentions in the listing text.
- SAHA's landlord outreach events. SAHA periodically runs landlord recruitment events to grow the pool of participating landlords. Voucher holders sometimes attend to meet landlords face to face.
VoucherReady's free unit-search tools let you filter by bedroom size and payment standard, which saves time by ruling out units where the gap between rent and the payment standard would blow past what you can cover.
One honest note. Finding a unit in San Antonio inside your voucher search period (typically 60 days, with possible extensions) is genuinely hard in this market. San Antonio rents rose roughly 20% between 2020 and 2023 before leveling off [8]. Plenty of landlords have pushed rents above what SAHA's payment standards cover, and some decline vouchers outright. Start searching the day your voucher is issued.
What tenant rights apply to SAHA voucher holders?
Federal law gives you several protections as an HCV tenant, no matter what your lease says.
Right to a hearing. If SAHA terminates or denies your assistance, you have the right to an informal hearing before the decision takes effect [2]. Request it in writing within the deadline in SAHA's notice, typically 10 to 14 days.
Rent increase limits. Landlords can't raise your rent without proper notice and SAHA's approval of the new amount. SAHA has to verify the increase is reasonable and won't push your share past the 40% cap on initial lease-up.
Retaliation protections. Fair Housing Act protections apply [9]. Report a housing code violation or exercise a legal right, and your landlord can't retaliate with eviction or other adverse action.
Reasonable accommodation. If you or a household member has a disability, you can request a reasonable accommodation from SAHA (for program rules) and from your landlord (for the unit itself). SAHA has to consider requests to waive or modify policies under the Fair Housing Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act [9].
Portability right. As noted, after 12 months you have the right to move with your voucher to another PHA's area [2].
Think SAHA acted improperly? File a complaint with HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at hud.gov. You can also contact Texas RioGrande Legal Aid for free legal help in Bexar County.
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply to SAHA's Section 8 waitlist?
SAHA's HCV waitlist is closed as of mid-2025. When it opens, applications go through SAHA's official website (saha.org) during a brief window, often just days. Selection is by random lottery from everyone who applies in that window. Sign up for email alerts on SAHA's site and watch local news to catch the next opening.
How long is the SAHA Section 8 waiting list?
SAHA doesn't publish a real-time queue position or estimated wait time. Historically, once the list opens, selected applicants have waited anywhere from two to five or more years before getting a voucher, depending on turnover and federal funding. The wait is genuinely unpredictable. Nobody can hand you a firm timeline with confidence.
What is SAHA's phone number and address?
SAHA's main office is at 818 S. Flores Street, San Antonio, TX 78204. The main phone number is (210) 477-6000. For HCV-specific questions, call the voucher department line listed on saha.org. Phone wait times can run long, so SAHA's online portal is often faster for routine requests like updating your contact information.
Does SAHA have emergency housing assistance?
SAHA doesn't offer same-day emergency vouchers. For emergency rental help in San Antonio, contact the City of San Antonio's Department of Human Services or the Texas Rent Relief program (if still funded). SAHA's VASH vouchers serve homeless veterans, but entry runs through the VA, not SAHA directly. 211 Texas can connect you to emergency shelter resources in Bexar County.
Can a landlord refuse to accept SAHA vouchers in San Antonio?
Texas state law doesn't ban refusing vouchers, but the City of San Antonio passed a source-of-income ordinance in 2020 that applies to landlords inside city limits. Legal challenges have muddied enforcement. Landlords outside city limits in Bexar County generally face no state-level prohibition. The legal picture here is genuinely unsettled. Landlords inside the city should consult an attorney.
What happens if my SAHA voucher expires before I find housing?
SAHA's standard voucher search period is 60 days, extendable at SAHA's discretion. If you're struggling to find a unit, contact SAHA before the expiration date to request an extension. Extensions aren't guaranteed but are commonly granted in tight rental markets. If you need a unit fast, GoSection8 and SAHA's landlord recruitment events are the quickest ways to find willing landlords.
How does SAHA calculate how much rent I pay?
Your share is your Total Tenant Payment (TTP), which equals roughly 30% of your adjusted monthly income, minus any utility allowance. SAHA pays the rest up to the payment standard. If actual rent tops the payment standard, you cover the gap, but your total share (TTP plus any gap payment) generally can't exceed 40% of adjusted income at initial lease-up under 24 CFR 982.508.
Does SAHA offer vouchers specifically for people with disabilities?
Yes. SAHA gets HUD Mainstream Voucher allocations targeted at non-elderly people with disabilities, and it administers project-based vouchers at accessible properties. Reasonable accommodation requests can also modify program rules for disability-related needs. Contact SAHA's HCV office directly and ask about Mainstream voucher availability, since allocations vary by year.
Can I transfer my voucher from another state to San Antonio?
Yes, under portability rules at 24 CFR 982.355. You must have held your voucher for 12 months (or be moving for employment reasons). Your current PHA sends your file to SAHA, which then either absorbs the voucher or bills your original PHA. SAHA applies its own payment standards if it absorbs you. Start the process at least 60 days before you want to move to allow processing time.
What is SAHA's Moving to Work status and why does it matter?
SAHA is a HUD-designated Moving to Work agency, which grants it flexibility to waive or modify certain federal HCV rules and run local pilot programs. So some standard HCV policies may work differently at SAHA than at a non-MTW PHA. Always confirm current SAHA-specific rules directly with the agency rather than assuming standard HUD guidance applies in every detail.
How is SAHA different from the San Bernardino Housing Authority?
Both are local PHAs administering HCV vouchers under HUD rules, but they operate in different states with different legal environments. California, where the San Bernardino Housing Authority and San Bernardino County Housing Authority operate, has statewide source-of-income protections banning voucher discrimination. Texas does not, though San Antonio has a local ordinance. Payment standards, waitlist procedures, and MTW status also differ between the two agencies.
Does SAHA have public housing in addition to vouchers?
Yes. SAHA owns and manages public housing developments including Alazan-Apache Courts and other properties in San Antonio. Public housing has a separate application process and a different rent calculation than the HCV program. Income limits are similar but not identical. Apply at SAHA's main office or through its website for public housing specifically.
What is HUD's Fair Market Rent for San Antonio and how often does it change?
HUD publishes Fair Market Rents annually, usually in the fall for the coming federal fiscal year. For FY 2025, the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro FMR for a 2-bedroom was $1,297. SAHA sets its payment standards from these figures, between 90% and 110% of FMR without special HUD approval. Check hud.gov for current figures before you sign anything.
Can I own a business or have a criminal record and still get a SAHA voucher?
Business ownership doesn't disqualify you. Self-employment income counts toward the income limit calculation. Criminal history is more complex. Federal law mandates denial for lifetime sex offenders and people convicted of manufacturing meth in federal housing. Other convictions fall to SAHA's discretion. SAHA must give written denial reasons, and you have the right to an informal hearing to dispute a denial.
Sources
- HUD.gov, Housing Choice Voucher Program overview: HCV program structure, VASH, and HUD funding of local PHAs including MTW agencies
- Code of Federal Regulations, 24 CFR Part 982 (HCV program regulations): Eligibility rules, payment standards, portability (982.355), HQS standards (982.401), and 40% rent cap (982.508)
- HUD, Assisted Housing: National and Local (Picture of Subsidized Households): SAHA serves approximately 14,000 HCV households and over 18,000 total assisted households
- San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA), official website: SAHA HCV waitlist status and program administration for San Antonio
- HUD, FY 2025 Fair Market Rents (HUD User FMR datasets): FY 2025 FMR figures by bedroom size for the San Antonio metro
- Texas Property Code, Chapter 92 (Residential Tenancies): Texas state law does not prohibit landlords from refusing tenants based on voucher/source of income
- City of San Antonio, Source of Income Non-Discrimination Ordinance (2020): San Antonio passed a local ordinance in 2020 prohibiting source-of-income discrimination by landlords within city limits
- Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Texas Housing Insight: San Antonio rents rose roughly 20% between 2020 and 2023 before leveling off
- HUD, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (Fair Housing Act and Section 504): Fair Housing Act retaliation protections and reasonable accommodation requirements for tenants with disabilities
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Housing Choice Voucher fact sheets: Only about 1 in 4 eligible households nationally receives any form of federal rental assistance
- HUD, Moving to Work Demonstration Program: MTW agencies including SAHA receive flexibility to modify HCV program rules and run local pilot programs