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Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
Official application routes, service-area details, contact information, and HUD-reported program data for this Columbus housing agency.
Independent directory: CalculateBenefits is not CMHA or HUD. Recorded source-check date for the agency-specific details below: 2026-11-02.
Is the Columbus Section 8 waiting list open?
We don't have a current check. Call CMHA or check its website before you apply.
Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)
Call to ask
No current check. Call or check the agency's site.
Public housing
Call to ask
No current check. Call or check the agency's site.
Waiting lists open and close without much notice. Applying is free; only CMHA can take an application or tell you your place on a list.
Start with the official agency
Visit the official CMHA 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
CMHA runs public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers in Columbus, Ohio. It also works with partners to build and keep up affordable housing.
- Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)
- Public Housing (site-based waitlists)
- Project-Based Vouchers / RAD referrals
- Resident and community services
Housing Choice Voucher application
CMHA uses an online portal called RentCafe. You make an account with your email address. In the portal you can apply, upload papers, sign forms, check your place on the list, and message CMHA. If CMHA picks you, it sends a letter by mail, and by email if it has yours.
What CMHA said when we checked on . Waiting lists open and close; check CMHA's official site or call for the current status.
Public housing application
Each CMHA property keeps its own waiting list. To apply, you contact the property directly and ask about its list.
What CMHA said when we checked on . Waiting lists open and close; check CMHA's official site or call for the current status.
Income limits for Franklin County
HUD fiscal year 2026 limits (pulled July 27, 2026) for Franklin County, where CMHA's main office is.
| Household | 30% (extremely low) | 50% (very low) | 80% (low) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $23,450 | $39,050 | $62,450 |
| 2 people | $26,800 | $44,600 | $71,400 |
| 3 people | $30,150 | $50,200 | $80,300 |
| 4 people | $33,450 | $55,750 | $89,200 |
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.
Source: HUD income limits. Check 5 to 8 people or another county →
Other help in Columbus
Heat and utility bills
IMPACT Community Action (HEAP) · 614.252.2799
Helps with Ohio's Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and PIPP for heat and power bills. Check its page for appointment times, then bring your ID.
Checked Nov. 2, 2026.
Food
The food bank for central Ohio. Search by ZIP code for nearby pantries, free Mid-Ohio Markets and meals.
Checked Nov. 2, 2026.
Facing eviction
Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO) · 614.221.7201
Free civil legal help for people with low incomes, including evictions, lockouts and repair problems. Apply online or call the main office.
Checked Nov. 2, 2026.
Everything else
Dial 211 to reach a helper who can point you to local help with rent, food, utilities and more.
Checked Nov. 2, 2026.
These are separate organizations, not CMHA and not CalculateBenefits.
Contact CMHA before you visit
General inquiries: 614-421-6000
Central office: 880 E. 11th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211-2771
HCV office: 1407 Cleveland Ave., Columbus, OH 43211 (HCV applications and intake)
Call 614-421-6000 before you go. CMHA does voucher applications and intake at 1407 Cleveland Ave. If you need an interpreter, tell CMHA ahead of time. It needs 24 hours' notice, so your appointment may be moved.
CMHA offers free language interpretation. It needs 24 hours' notice, and your appointment may need to be moved. For translation help with the website, call (614) 421-6000.
From CalculateBenefits, not CMHA
Waiting-list news by email
Get our free emails. If this agency's main Section 8 waiting list 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.
Because you've turned on a privacy opt-out, we don't offer this sign-up here. Check the agency's own site for openings.
Before and after you apply
- To make a RentCafe account, you need an email address. Call 614-421-6000 during business hours if you need help signing up.
- List last names the way they appear on Social Security cards. CMHA checks Social Security, wage data and criminal records.
- If your address, income or household changes, you must update CMHA. Change it in the portal or fill out a change form at the central office.
- If you are picked, CMHA mails you a notice with next steps. If you did not get a letter or email, CMHA asks you not to call about your place on the list.
- CMHA says it faces a projected federal funding shortfall in the voucher program, so waits may be long.
Documents CMHA asks applicants to have ready
- Picture ID for each person 18 or older
- Birth certificates and Social Security cards for everyone who will live in the home
- Names, addresses and phone numbers of landlords for the past five years
- Proof of income and assets (pay stubs, benefit letters, bank statements, or a no-income statement)
- Divorce decree, if it applies
- A doctor's statement, if you are pregnant or have a disability
From CMHA's published guidance. Ask the agency if you are missing something; do not wait to call.
HUD-reported assistance
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 CMHA, not this dataset.
HUD public housing designation: Standard Performer. Standard Performer means the agency met HUD's overall and individual-indicator minimums but did not qualify as a High Performer. It is an operating assessment, not a customer-review rating.
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 Ohio housing agencies · Ohio income limits and Fair Market Rents · How Housing Choice Vouchers work · Section 8 waiting lists at large agencies.