Waythrough is an independent resource, not IHA. 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 Indianapolis Housing Agency is the public housing agency for Indianapolis and Marion County, listed by HUD as PHA IN017 with a program type of Combined. Two things shape what you can actually do here. IHA's board has been HUD appointed since a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement signed on April 10, 2024, under which HUD says it "retains ultimate authority over IHA's recovery." And IHA's Section 8 waiting list has been closed since a lottery that ended in September 2016, on a page that still quotes income limits marked effective July 2014. That second fact is worth saying plainly rather than repeating flatly: a page carrying decade-old figures is not a page whose status was checked recently, so treat the closure as real but call (317) 261.7200 rather than assume nothing has changed. For public housing, the six property offices below are the only actionable route IHA publishes.

Quick Facts

Serves: the city of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana
Phone: 317.261.7200
Official site: www.indyhousing.org/
Apply: IHA 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): Closed — Closed, and closed for a long time. IHA's Housing Choice Voucher FAQ states, verbatim (checked September 9, 2026): "The Indianapolis Housing Agency's Section 8 waiting list is closed. We are now processing the randomly selected applications from our 2016 Lottery opening, which concluded on September 15, 2016." It adds that "Future waitlist openings will be publicly announced in advance through the usual media outlets and on Indyhousing.org." One caution in our own voice: the same page presents income figures it labels "(effective July 2014)," so it has not been refreshed in years. The closure is corroborated by the absence of any reopening item in IHA's news archive, which does carry dated posts from February through September 2026, but call (317) 261.7200 rather than treat the page as freshly confirmed.
  • Public Housing at IHA communities: Per community, no status published — IHA does not publish an open or closed status for any of its communities. Its FAQ routes you to them: "Details regarding the waiting lists at IHA's Public Housing and multi-program communities are listed on our Communities pages," and applications "are accepted onsite on application days. Please contact the desired community to inquire about their application days and times." All six community pages were checked and none carries an open or closed statement or any date, and The Martindale's page still says units will be available in fall 2018. So the phone numbers are the whole answer: Concord and Eagle Creek (317) 261-7344, Indiana Avenue Apartments (317) 261-7221, John J. Barton Annex (317) 261-7213, John J. Barton Tower (317) 261-7447, The Georgetown (317) 261-7245, The Martindale (317) 261-7296. Selection here is date order, not a lottery: IHA says it "will offer all available units in the appropriate bedroom size on a first-come, first-served basis."

Programs IHA Runs

  • Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8)
  • Public Housing, leased directly by IHA at its communities
  • Project-Based Vouchers and project-based rental assistance at RAD converted properties
  • Resident programs and services at IHA communities

How to Apply

Apply directly through the authority's official application page: www.indyhousing.org/apply-now. If you have already applied, call 317.261.7200 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

  • The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) is the state agency, HUD code IN901, at 30 S. Meridian St., Indianapolis, (317) 232-1257, s8waitlist@ihcda.in.gov. It administers Section 8 in Indiana counties that IHA does not cover, and it is a different agency from IHA despite sharing a city.
  • If you live just outside Marion County, check with the state rather than assuming. HUD's Indiana report contains no separate entries for Beech Grove, Lawrence, Speedway, Southport, Carmel or Hamilton County. That is an absence in HUD's list, not a statement that IHA covers those places, and IHA's township list naming Lawrence refers to Lawrence Township rather than the separately incorporated city. Ask IHCDA where you fall.
  • Two IHA portal addresses no longer work. applicant.indyhousing.org and portal.indyhousing.org/WebApp/Default.aspx both fail to load. The working applicant portal is the RentCafe one linked from IHA's own Apply Now page, and it is an account gate rather than a status page: it shows no waiting-list information before you register.

More Local Resources

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Indianapolis Section 8 waiting list open?

No. IHA's own Housing Choice Voucher FAQ says: "The Indianapolis Housing Agency's Section 8 waiting list is closed. We are now processing the randomly selected applications from our 2016 Lottery opening, which concluded on September 15, 2016" (checked September 9, 2026). IHA also says future openings "will be publicly announced in advance through the usual media outlets and on Indyhousing.org." We should be honest about the quality of that page, though: it still presents income limits labeled "(effective July 2014)," so it has clearly not been maintained. Nothing in IHA's news archive, which runs through September 2026, announces a reopening. Treat the list as closed, and call (317) 261.7200 before making plans around it.

I read that the Indianapolis public housing waitlist opened in March 2026. Is that true?

We could not corroborate it anywhere on IHA's own site, and we previously carried that claim ourselves before removing it. IHA's news archive carries dated items from February 2026 through September 2026, and the entries nearest that date are a job fair post and a daylight saving time notice, with no waiting list opening, closing or lottery item at all. None of the six community pages shows an opening date, and the general FAQ's answer about public housing waiting lists routes to the per-community pages without mentioning any 2026 reopening. So we are not repeating the claim and we are not substituting a different date. Call the community you are interested in directly.

How do I actually apply for public housing here?

By contacting a specific community, in person on its application days. IHA's words: applications "are accepted onsite on application days. Please contact the desired community to inquire about their application days and times." There are six numbers and they are the most useful thing on this page: Concord and Eagle Creek (317) 261-7344, Indiana Avenue Apartments (317) 261-7221, John J. Barton Annex (317) 261-7213, John J. Barton Tower (317) 261-7447, The Georgetown (317) 261-7245, and The Martindale (317) 261-7296. Unlike the voucher lottery, public housing here is first-come first-served, so when a list does open, the date you apply matters.

Is IHA run by HUD now, and does that change anything for me?

The board is HUD appointed, and that is as far as the documentation goes. IHA's Board of Commissioners page lists its members under the heading "Commissioners (HUD Appointed)" and publishes a full 2026 meeting schedule, so it is current. HUD's own April 2024 release describes a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement signed April 10, 2024 with the City of Indianapolis under which "HUD retains ultimate authority over IHA's recovery," with HUD's Indiana Field Office Director as board chair and a City-appointed Recovery Monitor. What we cannot tell you is whether anything changed for applicants: nothing on indyhousing.org directs applicants to HUD or to a third-party administrator, and intake still runs through IHA staff and its RentCafe portal. IHA's current CEO is Yvonda A. Bean.

What number should I call, and what is the right address?

Call 317.261.7200. It appears in body content on IHA's Help Center office locator and is used consistently across the site. HUD's directory has the phone and fax reversed for IN017, listing (317) 261-7176 as the phone, so ignore that one. There is no separate Section 8 line. Other useful numbers: landlords 317.261.7201, applicants who need disability assistance 317.261.7299, and rental listings 1-877-428-8844. On the address, IHA's own pages disagree: the Help Center and About pages give 1919 N. Meridian Street, while the Board of Commissioners page and the RentCafe portal footer give 1935 N. Meridian Street. We publish 1919 as the main office and leave the discrepancy visible rather than quietly picking one. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Are there preferences that would move me up the list?

IHA does not publish any, and we are not going to import generic language to fill the gap. No IHA page lists preference categories or a points schedule for either program. What it does publish is screening criteria: income limits, criminal history, and no lifetime sex offender registration. On timing, IHA says "It may take up to four (4) years to be pulled from the waiting list and receive assistance," and elsewhere gives a range of six months to four years. IHA does not disclose your position on the list, and says that once you are pulled it will contact you by mail.

How current are the income limits IHA publishes?

It depends which page you land on, which is the whole problem. IHA's "Am I Eligible" page carries a table labeled FY 2025, which is one year behind as of September 2026. The Housing Choice Voucher FAQ is far worse: it says a family of four in Marion County can earn up to $32,150 to count as Very Low Income or $51,450 as Low Income, and labels those figures "(effective July 2014)." Do not budget against either set. HUD republishes income limits annually, and the reliable move is to call 317.261.7200 and ask what limits IHA is applying to your household size right now.

Sources