ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — After a rocky start, applications for affordable housing are set to close at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
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Thousands of people have applied through the Orlando Housing Authority portal since the first day, throwing the system into overload.
As a result, many still have not been able to apply.
“It’s stressful. This is really needed for me,” said Sharnise Wilson as she exited the Orlando Housing Authority building on Wednesday.
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Wilson said she tried multiple times to submit her application on the OHA’s website without success.
“I actually tried on the 15th, at midnight, and I have been trying since. I have not been successful in this application.”
The Orlando resident has been looking for a home for months after her landlord requested her apartment back.
Now, she needs a place to live with her 8 children before the end of the month.
“I feel left out,” she said. “It doesn’t feel reliable - no support – that’s how I feel.”
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According to the Housing Authority, the number of applications was overwhelmingly high—on the first day alone, the website received over 10,000 submissions.
“There’s such a need for affordable housing in Orlando, said Viviane Bryant, OHA’s CEO. “Our waiting list is not limited to Orlando residents; it’s all over the United States, so we have applications from Washington State, D.C., New Jersey.”
OHA announced they’ve received more than 16,000 applications as of Wednesday evening.
On top of that, the organization already had 5,000 people on the waitlist ready to move to a home as soon as a unit becomes available.
Over the weekend, following thunderstorms in the area, OHA said its building was struck by lightning, causing damage to several of their systems, including the application portal.
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The Housing Authority says it has no plans to extend the deadline despite the issues with its system.
“Unfortunately, the need for housing is greater than what we have,” said Bryant. “There are a number of affordable housing units offered through the state tax credit program, and they should apply to those.”
Channel 9 questioned OHA about how long it would take for someone to get a home for those who were able to submit their application.
“It depends upon when someone moves,” said Bryant. “The public housing units are units that we own, and we’re occupied now. When someone moves, then we’re able to go to the waiting list and offer an opportunity to someone else.”
According to the Housing Authority, the time you submit your application does not influence when you can get access to your home.
However, certain groups do have higher priority.
They include those who are disabled, honorably discharged veterans, homeless in transitional housing programs, employed, former OHA Homeownership Program participants, graduates of Verified Transitional Housing Programs, or Orange County residents.
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