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PHA directory › California › Agency profile

Santa Clara County Housing Authority

Official application routes, service-area details, contact information, and HUD-reported program data for this San Jose housing agency.

Independent directory: CalculateBenefits is not SCCHA or HUD. Recorded source-check date for the agency-specific details below: 2026-11-02.

Is the San Jose Section 8 waiting list open?

As of Nov. 2, 2026, SCCHA's website said it was open only for some applicants: This is an interest list, not the waiting list itself: "If rental assistance is available, applicants will be chosen randomly and added to the waiting list." Preference goes to people who lived or worked in Santa Clara County in the last five years. (year-round).

Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)

Open — limited This is an interest list, not the waiting list itself: "If rental assistance is available, applicants will be chosen randomly and added to the waiting list." Preference goes to people who lived or worked in Santa Clara County in the last five years. (year-round)

What the agency's site said on Nov. 2, 2026. See the notice →

Waiting lists open and close without much notice. Applying is free; only SCCHA can take an application or tell you your place on a list.

Start with the official agency

Visit the official SCCHA website →

Housing applications and waiting-list registration are free. A third party cannot guarantee approval or move you ahead on a waiting list.

What this agency serves

SCCHA offers voucher programs and rental properties for low-income families and individuals in Santa Clara County, California. Voucher holders can choose to live anywhere in Santa Clara County.

  • Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8)
  • Project-Based Vouchers
  • Special voucher programs by referral (through the County's Coordinated Entry System)
  • Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS)
  • Affordable housing development and leasing

Housing Choice Voucher application

SCCHA uses online interest lists. Signing up takes about 3 minutes on a computer or phone. When vouchers become available, SCCHA picks names at random and adds them to the waiting list. You do not have to live in Santa Clara County to apply, but people who lived or worked there in the last five years get preference.

What SCCHA said when we checked on . Waiting lists open and close; check SCCHA's official site or call for the current status.

Join SCCHA's online interest lists (Applicant Portal) →

Income limits for Santa Clara County

HUD fiscal year 2026 limits (pulled July 27, 2026) for Santa Clara County, where SCCHA's main office is.

Household30% (extremely low)50% (very low)80% (low)
1 person$43,200$71,950$113,700
2 people$49,350$82,200$129,950
3 people$55,500$92,500$146,200
4 people$61,650$102,750$162,400

Section 8 vouchers generally use the 50% limit, and agencies must give most new vouchers to families at or below 30%; families up to 50% can still qualify. The 80% limit applies to public housing. Limits differ by county; use the income-limit checker for the county you live in.

Source: HUD income limits. Check 5 to 8 people or another county →

Other help in San Jose

These are separate organizations, not SCCHA and not CalculateBenefits.

Contact SCCHA before you visit

General inquiries: (408) 275-8770
Central office: 505 West Julian Street, San José, CA 95110

Housing Choice Voucher line: (888) 717-1180

Published hours: Lobby hours: Monday through Thursday 7:30a.m. – 4:30p.m.; every other Friday 7:30a.m. – 4p.m.

SCCHA's main office lobby is at 505 West Julian Street in San José. Lobby hours are Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and every other Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can join the interest lists online without an office visit. TDD: (408) 993-3041.

SCCHA offers free interpretation and translation services. Use the translation button on its website or call (408) 275-8770. TDD: (408) 993-3041.

From CalculateBenefits, not SCCHA

Waiting-list news by email

Get our free emails. If a main Section 8 waiting list we track opens and we see it, we email the people who signed up here. Some lists close before we can send. To sign up, you take our free benefits check. You give your name and email and answer a few questions. A phone step is optional. Then you see offers from partners. Your information may be shared with or sold to marketing partners. They may also contact you (how we use it). Signing up does not apply for housing or put you on any waiting list.

Start sign-up

Before and after you apply

  • To sign up, you need an email address, the date of birth and Social Security Number of the head of household, and the names and birth dates of everyone who will live with you.
  • Log in to the Applicant Portal at least once a year to stay active. You can update or reactivate your information any time.
  • SCCHA sends updates by email or text. If you are picked for the waiting list, SCCHA contacts you to check whether you are eligible.
  • Signing up for the interest lists does not guarantee a voucher.
  • SCCHA holds free monthly online info sessions for people who want to apply or are on the interest lists.

Documents SCCHA asks applicants to have ready

  • Email address
  • Date of birth and Social Security Number for the head of household
  • Names and birth dates for everyone in the household

From SCCHA's published guidance. Ask the agency if you are missing something; do not wait to call.

HUD-reported assistance

12,606HUD-reported voucher units
11,560Voucher units reported in use
4HUD-reported public housing units
4Occupied public housing units

These figures are HUD reporting-data snapshots, not a count of openings. Equal inventory and occupied counts do not prove that no future opening is possible. Waiting-list status comes from SCCHA, not this dataset.

HUD public housing designation: Substandard Physical. Substandard Physical means the agency earned at least 60% overall but scored below HUD's minimum for the physical-condition indicator. HUD may require corrective action.

HUD directory dataset retrieved 2026-07-20; record last updated 2026-04-07. Read the data methods and limitations.

Agency and data sources

Related: All California housing agencies · California income limits and Fair Market Rents · How Housing Choice Vouchers work · Section 8 waiting lists at large agencies.