Hundreds line up on the corner of East Second Street and Riverhill Drive to get on a waiting list for affordable housing. (Photo by Elizabeth Warnimont)

Throngs of applicants lined the streets to get on a waiting list for affordable housing during the one-day sign-up period in Benicia Wednesday. Some minor traffic congestion ensued on East Second Street due to the number of people crossing the street there in order to reach the line snaking from the west side of East Second onto Riverhill Drive, where the Housing Authority office is located.
The Housing Authority had posted a public notice in the Benicia Herald Sunday, Oct. 9 announcing that applicants for a Housing Choice voucher or Public Housing Low Rent Development could apply on one day only, Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at their office at 28 Riverhill Dr. to get their names on a waiting list. The news appeared on several social media sites, especially after drivers began noticing the long lines Wednesday and posting questions online. Multiple calls came in to Herald staff members throughout the morning inquiring about the site.
Eligibility for the subsidized housing requires that at least one family member be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status, and family income must not exceed established annual limits, which were delineated in the public notice.
For more information about affordable housing in Benicia visit the Housing Authority website at ci.benicia.ca.us under the government-boards and commissions tab or call 745-2071.

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