NYCHA Earns ‘Best Application Serving the Public’ Award for Section 8 Portal  

During the week it was launched this past summer, a new online portal welcomed approximately 1.5 million visitors seeking to apply for NYCHA’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. 

Nearly 15 years after the Section 8 waitlist was last opened to the public, the new platform processed more than 633,000 applications over the week it was active, ultimately placing on the waitlist 200,000 households from across the country who were randomly selected via lottery. Several NYCHA departments collaborated with IT and selected technology partners to create the first-ever online application system for NYCHA Section 8 vouchers that featured a multi-lingual interface and streamlined sign-in process to enhance accessibility.  

In recognition of these efforts, the NYCHA team was awarded the “Best Application Serving the Public” at the New York City Technology Forum on December 2 at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. The annual conference, presented by the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation and e.Republic, brings together technology-focused, public-sector professionals with leading industry partners to spotlight innovative approaches and discover new technologies.  

“This initiative not only modernized a critical process but also set a new standard for inclusivity, accessibility, and scalability in government services,” Ken Skeen, Conference Director with e.Republic’s Government Technology division, said of the NYCHA Section 8 portal. “The team’s exceptional efforts have broadened housing assistance opportunities for countless individuals and families.” 

The “Best Application Serving the Public” commendation is awarded to honorees who have designed, developed, and deployed applications, or improved existing applications, that deliver services more effectively to the public or other external stakeholders. NYCHA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) Patti Bayross said the award is particularly meaningful as it recognizes the Authority’s efforts to better serve the public through technology.  

“I’m really excited that this is the award we won, because we are all public servants and that’s what we’re here for,” she said. “One of the things that’s so important about technology in the public sector is that you’re using technology to solve problems, address issues, or help people. This reminds everyone that IT and technology are central to how we can help people.”   

Ms. Bayross added that the NYCHA recognition is also a “true testament to the value of cross-department collaboration,” as the portal’s success was attributed to teams from IT, Office of the CIO, Leased Housing, Law, Administration, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Communications.  

Executive Vice President for Leased Housing Lakesha Miller also noted the importance of technology- and business-focused teams working hand in hand to develop an efficient, easy-to-use application system for people who were seeking to join the Section 8 waitlist.  

“This was a huge effort for the Section 8 program because we hadn’t opened the waitlist in 15 years. It was extremely important for us to open it in a way that not only gave access to the general public, but also made it a user-friendly experience because it is an introduction to the program,” said Ms. Miller, who accepted the award on NYCHA’s behalf at the December 2 event. “I feel that IT took the initiative to make sure that we made a product that everyone would be drawn to, and they would see that this is the best way to apply to the Section 8 program.”   

Section 8 is a federally funded program administered by NYCHA that provides rental subsidies for eligible low-income families to rent housing in the private market. With the reopening of the waitlist, interested households were able to apply to the program for one week between June 3 and June 9. While the prior system required people to submit applications in paper format and was limited to local residents, the new web-based portal enabled users from across the nation to apply via a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Paper applications were still made available for those interested. The ADA-compliant portal was designed to handle 850,000 users at once without risk of the site crashing.  

“Affordability is a topic no matter where you are, so it was nice to have a platform where people could apply from the convenience of their home,” Ms. Miller said of the portal’s capabilities, including expanding access nationwide.  

Once the application period closed, households were randomly selected by lottery for the waitlist, ensuring that everyone had equal opportunity to be chosen regardless of when applications were received. Waitlisted applicants were able to check the status of their application by logging into NYCHA’s Self-Service Portal. To further support applicants, NYCHA established a dedicated call center and mobilized staff at walk-in centers.  

Along with the team recognition for the Section 8 portal, NYCHA employees Nadina Resulani, Performance Management and Analyst, and Sharone Jones, IT Director of Business Client Services, were honored at the NYC Technology Forum for their work in supporting technology services. Ms. Resulani received the award for “Innovative Use of Data Analytics,” while Ms. Jones was presented the award for “Outstanding IT Client Service.”

Featured photo caption: Executive Vice President for Leased Housing Lakesha Miller accepts NYCHA’s award for the Section 8 waitlist portal at the New York City Technology Forum on December 2.