Waythrough is an independent resource, not CMHA. We summarize public information to help you get oriented. For applications and the most current waiting-list status, always use the official links below.

The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority is the public housing agency for Columbus, Ohio, listed by HUD as PHA OH001 with a program type of Combined. Two things make this page different from most authority pages. First, CMHA never says its voucher waiting list is open or closed, and that is not an oversight: it runs a continuous lottery pool in which everyone drawn has an equal chance regardless of when they applied, and applications expire after two years. Asking whether the list is open is the wrong question here. Second, the name is shared. There is a Housing Authority of Columbus in GEORGIA and a Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority in Cleveland that also calls itself CMHA. Everything on this page is Columbus, Ohio, at 880 E. 11th Ave. on the domain cmhanet.com.

Quick Facts

Serves: Franklin County and central Ohio
Phone: (614) 421-6000
Official site: www.cmhanet.com/
Apply: CMHA application page
Status last checked: September 9, 2026

Waiting-List Status

Waiting lists open and close frequently, so treat the status below as a starting point and confirm on the official site before you rely on it.

  • Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8): Continuous lottery pool, not open or closed — CMHA publishes no open or closed status and never uses either word. Its dedicated Housing Choice Voucher page says only: "Waitlist selections are currently in process. If selected, you will receive a notice via mail (and email if on file) with the next steps" (checked September 9, 2026). The mechanism behind that comes from CMHA's Administrative Plan dated August 15, 2025: "CMHA has adopted a lottery-based procedure for establishing a Wait List," and "Applications will be taken continuously or for specified periods of time - eligible applicants will have an equal chance of being drawn in the Lottery irrespective of the date and time of their application." Two consequences worth knowing before you apply: applying early buys you nothing, and "Preliminary Applications will be retained in the Lottery Pool for two years," after which the application expires and you are notified.
  • Public Housing and Project-Based Vouchers: Per property — There is no authority-wide status for these. CMHA's Public Housing and Property Listings pages both say, identically, "All properties have a site based waitlist for housing that opens and closes as needed," and tell applicants to "contact any property in the listings below to inquire if they are accepting new applications to the waitlist." The Administrative Plan confirms CMHA maintains separate site-based lists at each Standard and RAD project-based property. The only way to learn a given property's status is to call that property.

Programs CMHA Runs

  • Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)
  • Project-Based Vouchers, including RAD converted properties
  • Public Housing, now down to about 125 units
  • CMHA owned and managed affordable communities

How to Apply

Apply directly through the authority's official application page: www.cmhanet.com/apply-housing-waitlist. If you have already applied, call (614) 421-6000 to verify your position and keep your contact information current — if the authority cannot reach you when your name comes up, you can be dropped from the list.

New to the process? Our step-by-step guide to applying for Section 8 walks through the whole thing, and how to find your PHA helps you locate the right authority.

Other Authorities Serving This Area

  • Applications and intake happen at a different address from headquarters. CMHA's administrative office is 880 E. 11th Ave., but its Housing Choice Voucher page states: "HCV applications and intake services are provided at our CMHA building at 1407 Cleveland Ave., Columbus, OH 43211." If you are applying, 1407 Cleveland Ave. is the address that matters.
  • CMHA cut its payment standard on July 1, 2026, from 110 percent to 100 percent of Fair Market Rent, citing "a projected funding shortfall within the federal Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program due to insufficient federal appropriations." CMHA says "Some participating families may experience an increase in their portion of the rent over time as annual recertifications and program calculations are completed," and warns landlords it "may impact future rent determinations, rent increase requests, and newly leased units." The statement says nothing about pausing or closing intake.
  • Neighboring authorities, each with its own list. Fairfield Metropolitan Housing Authority in Lancaster (HUD OH070, Section 8), whose voucher waiting list page still carries wording from July 2024, so treat it with care. Licking Metropolitan Housing Authority in Newark (HUD OH043, Combined), 740-349-8069, 144 West Main Street. Delaware Metropolitan Housing Authority (HUD OH079, Section 8), (740) 369-1881, whose own site says its Section 8 list has been closed since September 30, 2024. HUD's Ohio report shows no separate Union County or Madison County authority.

More Local Resources

For the full picture of affordable housing in this area — emergency shelter, rental assistance, tenant rights, and legal aid — see our Columbus housing resources page and our OH state resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the CMHA Section 8 waiting list open or closed?

Neither, and that is CMHA's actual answer rather than a dodge. Its Housing Choice Voucher page says only that "Waitlist selections are currently in process" and it never uses the words open or closed anywhere. The reason is structural: CMHA runs a continuous lottery pool rather than a queue. Its Administrative Plan says applications "will be taken continuously or for specified periods of time" and that "eligible applicants will have an equal chance of being drawn in the Lottery irrespective of the date and time of their application." So there is no line to get into early, and no closing date to beat. Check the RentCafe portal at portal.cmhanet.com for what you can submit today, and call (614) 421-6000 if it is unclear.

Does applying early improve my chances?

No. That is the single most useful thing to understand about CMHA. Because selection is a lottery drawn from a pool, an application submitted two years ago and one submitted this morning have the same chance of being drawn. What time does do is work against you: CMHA's Administrative Plan states that "Preliminary Applications will be retained in the Lottery Pool for two years. If they have not been drawn in the Wait List Lottery by that time, the applicant will be notified that the Preliminary Application has expired." So the thing to diarize is not an opening date but your own two-year mark, and the address and email CMHA has for you, since an expiry notice you never receive is the same as no notice.

How do CMHA's preference points work?

CMHA publishes a real points schedule in chapter 5 of its Administrative Plan, and the points are what shape a draw. Thirty points go to RAD relocation, project-based voucher referrals and supportive-service referrals. Eleven points each go to families of two or more people, families that include a person with disabilities, households headed by a disabled or elderly person aged 62 or older, and single people who are 62 or older, displaced, homeless or a person with disabilities. Five points go to families not receiving any permanent rental assistance. Three points go to households under 30 percent of area median income adjusted for family size. One point each goes to a Metropolitan Area Resident and to a veteran preference under the Ohio Revised Code.

What counties does CMHA cover?

CMHA never states its jurisdiction in a single sentence, so we will not put words in its mouth. What it does publish: its 2025 Annual Plan projects using project-based vouchers "throughout Franklin County," its 2026 five-year plan says CMHA "serves more than 160,000 people across central Ohio," and its Administrative Plan defines a Metropolitan Area Resident preference covering "the eight county Columbus Metropolitan Area (Franklin, Union, Delaware, Madison, Pickaway, Licking, Union and Fairfield)." Note that CMHA calls it eight counties but its own list names seven, with Union printed twice. That is CMHA's typo and we are not going to guess at the eighth. Franklin County is the operating core, and the county language above is about preference eligibility, not a coverage guarantee.

Which CMHA portal should I use? One of them shows a transition message.

Use portal.cmhanet.com. That is the current RentCafe portal, used both by new applicants through the apply page and by existing participants through the HCV Portal page, where CMHA writes "CMHA is excited to introduce you to RentCafe, our new online HCV Portal." You may also land on app.cmhanet.com, which loads and displays: "CMHA is currently transitioning between systems. We apologize for the temporary disruption and appreciate your patience during this period." No dates are given and CMHA does not explain how the two relate. A third address, legacy.cmhanet.com, is an older copy of the site that is still live. None of that means your application failed. Use portal.cmhanet.com and call (614) 421-6000 if something looks wrong.

Is this the same CMHA as the one in Cleveland?

No, and the confusion is worth being careful about because both abbreviate to CMHA. This page is the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority in Columbus, Ohio, HUD code OH001, at 880 E. 11th Ave. on cmhanet.com. Cleveland's authority is the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, a separate agency with its own lists. Separately, there is a Housing Authority of Columbus in Columbus, Georgia at columbushousing.org, and a Columbus Housing Authority in Columbus, Mississippi. Applying to the wrong one is a wasted application, so check the state on any page you land on.

Does CMHA still have public housing?

Very little, and it is shrinking on purpose. CMHA's 2025 Annual Plan reports 125 public housing units against 12,955 Housing Choice Vouchers. Its 2026 five-year plan says CMHA "is still participating in HUD's RAD program and is on track to complete RAD conversion for all existing Public Housing sites within the next few years," and that it "applied for a RAD conversion of all 95 units of public housing at The Meadows." A separate and larger figure appears in the same plan, that CMHA "now operates 47+ housing communities representing nearly 7,000 owned units," but that counts the whole real estate portfolio rather than the public housing program, and the two should not be added together or reconciled.

What do I need to have ready to apply?

From CMHA's Requirements page and chapter 4 of its Administrative Plan: you must be 18 or older or an emancipated minor; picture identification, birth certificates and Social Security cards for household members; legal names and birth dates of everyone; gender and relationship; address and phone; the amount and source of all income and assets; disability documentation where it applies; landlord contact information for the past five years; a divorce decree if divorced; medical documentation if pregnant or disabled; an email address; and a Declaration of Citizenship or Eligible Immigrant Status. CMHA also states that applicants are screened for drug, violent criminal and sexual offender convictions, and that you should not submit more than one application per individual or family.

How will I know if I am selected?

By mail, and by email if CMHA has one on file. Its Administrative Plan says "Applicants whose names are drawn will be notified and asked to confirm that they continue to be interested in receiving a Voucher," after which "CMHA will mail a Personal Declaration Form to the family and schedule an interview." The Requirements page adds that "An Intake Specialist will contact applicants once their name comes to the top of the waiting list." If you are found ineligible, CMHA says you "will be sent a letter stating the reason for their ineligibility and offering them an opportunity for an informal review," so a denial is not automatically the end.

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