By Lookout Staff

August 8, 2011 – Applications for Santa Monica's housing programs will be online this year, and the city will be accepting them Monday and Tuesday next week.

The Master Waitlist for Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 housing, Affordable Housing and other programs will be open for applications at www.smgov.net/housing starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday, August 15 through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, August 16.

“The Housing Division and the Redevelopment Agency work with private affordable housing developers and multifamily property owners to ensure that economic diversity, a hallmark of Santa Monica, continues to flourish and that longtime residents can remain in their households,” the Housing Division Mission Statement says.

The Master Waitlist will be used to select applicants for all of Santa Monica's housing programs, assisting households earning no more than 80 per cent to 100 per cent of the Los Angeles County area median income.

In addition to voucher programs, some applicants will be referred to vacant, affordable apartments and for-sale condominiums available through the city's Affordable Housing Production Program.

This year's streamlined process will let people get on the Master Waitlist without having to come into city offices, and applicants will be able to check their status online at any time.

People with disabilities and those without access to the Internet can go to three locations where city staff will help them apply.

The locations and times are:

• Santa Monica Public Library, Second Floor Computer Training Room, 601 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, Monday, August 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesday, August 16th from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
• Police Activities League, Memorial Park, 1401 Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica, Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and
• Virginia Avenue Park, Park Center, 2200 Virginia Avenue, Santa Monica, Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition, the following social service providers will be available to assist people with specific needs:

• Westside Center for Independent Living, 12901 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, by appointment only, disabled only, call (310) 390-3611,
• WISE and Healthy Aging, 1527 4th Street, Santa Monica, by appointment only, seniors and disabled only, priority to Santa Monica residents and WISE clients, call (310) 394-9871,
• Step Up On Second, 1328 2nd Street, Santa Monica, members only,
• OPCC Access Center, 503 Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica, OPCC clients only, and
• St. Joseph Center, 404 Lincoln Boulevard, Venice, St. Joseph's clients only.

If applicants require a reasonable accommodation, they may contact the Housing Division at (310) 458-8743 for assistance.