Rental Assistance Programs - Tacoma Housing Authority

Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) helps people pay for housing they find and rent from private owners.

Tenant-Based Vouchers

We have a variety of programs designed to provide rental assistance for families in need. With tenant-based assistance, families can choose an apartment to rent, and THA covers a portion of their housing costs. The family can move to another unit anywhere within THA’s coverage area and continue using their voucher, or they can port their voucher to another jurisdiction in the United States, so long as they meet the program requirements.

Housing Choice Voucher Program

Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Housing Choice Voucher Program is the nation’s largest rental subsidy program. It used to be called the Section 8 Program.

About the program

The waitlists for tenant-based vouchers are managed directly by THA through our online applicant portal. Applicants are selected from the waitlist as funding is available.

Other Rental Assistance Programs

Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) has other programs that help pay rent on a dwelling. THA usually manages these programs in partnership with other community agencies.

Housing Vouchers for Special Populations

THA serves the following populations through referrals from community partners. If you think you might qualify, please contact the agency listed below.

Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) – Are you a homeless veteran looking for housing assistance? Call the VA Puget Sound Health Care System at 800-329-8387 and mention your interest in HUD-VASH.
Non-Elderly Disabled Voucher Program (NED) – Are you under the age of 62 with a disability transitioning from a nursing home or skilled nursing facility, or currently staying in a hospital or other healthcare institution for an extended period without a residence? Contact your DSHS Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA) case worker to ask about the NED program, or get more information about ALTSA housing resources.
Family Unification Program (FUP) – Are you a family without adequate housing that may lead to the placement of your child or children in out-of-home care? Or is your lack of housing delaying the return of your child or children from out-of-home care? Contact your Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) case worker to see if you are eligible for a FUP voucher.
Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) – Are you between the ages of 18–24, have left foster care or will leave within 90 days, homeless or at risk of homelessness, and in foster care between the ages of 16–18? Contact your Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Social Worker, Pierce County Alliance or Comprehensive Life Resources to see if you are eligible for a FYI voucher.
Mainstream Vouchers – Are you at least 18 and under 62 years old with a disability? Contact your DSHS Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA) case worker and/or Pierce County Human Services to see if you are eligible for a Mainstream voucher.

Project-Based Vouchers

THA has agreed to attach some of its vouchers to units in specific apartment buildings owned by for-profit or non-profit private owners through the Project-Based Section 8 voucher program. The assisted families pay the same rent that they would in the regular voucher program.

Here are some of the apartment buildings or communities in Tacoma that offer THA Project-based vouchers:

Eliza McCabe
2315 S Yakima Ave | (253) 572-4179
Exley Apartments
309 S 9th St | (253) 201-1325
Flett Meadows
4408 S 74th St | (253) 581-8689
Guadalupe Vista
1305 S G St | (253) 502-2764
Harborview Manor
919 S Fawcett Ave | (253) 272-5552
Hillside Gardens
1708 S G St | (253) 572-4179
Hilltop Lofts
1124 M.L.K. Jr Way | (253) 254-8915
Home at Last
402 Broadway | (253) 272-4181
Hotel Olympus Apartments
815 Pacific Ave | (253) 274-1250
Nativity House Apartments
1411 S Yakima Ave | (253) 502-2770
New Tacoma Apartments
1709 South G St | (253) 572-4179
Pacific Courtyard
8606 Pacific Ave | (253) 284-9050
Rialto Apartments
311 S 9th St | (253) 518-3573
St. Helens
309 S 9th Street
Tyler Square
3202 S Tyler St | (253) 318-4492

Coordinated Entry

A portion of properties and THA units are filled by referrals through Coordinated Entry.

If you are currently homeless, you can connect with Coordinated Entry by calling 2-1-1 or visiting Washington 211 online.

Visit Washington 211

Property Based Subsidies

THA buys down rents at a number of apartment complexes for qualifying applicants with very low incomes. Residents of these properties are technically not THA clients, but still realize affordable rents.

Highland Flats
Crosspointe
Koz on Market
Koz at the Dome
Cascade Park Vista (assisted living)
Cascade Park Gardens (assisted living – memory care)
Peoples Senior Living (assisted living)

Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Voucher Program

A single room occupancy (more commonly SRO, sometimes called single resident occupancy) is a multiple tenant building that houses one or two people in individual rooms. Sometimes tenants in several units share a bathroom down the hall.

Here are the communities in Tacoma that offer SRO vouchers: