Chandler is cracking open its public housing waitlist this spring, giving larger households a rare shot at three-, four- and five-bedroom units. The city will accept pre-applications for a short window in early April, then use a lottery to pick roughly 350 spots on the waitlist. Officials have set a mid-April deadline for all paperwork, just as Chandler wraps up its first major public housing redevelopment and gears up a separate site-based list for a new complex on McQueen Road.
According to KTAR News, the city will open the online pre-application portal on April 3, 2026, and select about 350 households by lottery for the larger family units. KTAR also reports that applicants must have completed application materials in by noon on Friday, April 17, 2026, to make the cut for the drawing.
How to apply
Prospective tenants are directed to set up an online account through the city’s housing portal at Chandler Housing & Redevelopment. The site walks users through sign-in and account creation and lists phone and email contacts for help.
The portal currently shows both the Public Housing and Section 8 waitlists as closed, so officials are encouraging interested families to get their accounts set up early, keep an eye on the site, or contact the Housing and Redevelopment Division if they need assistance or an alternative way to request the form.
Who qualifies and what it costs
Eligibility will be tied to Chandler’s income limits. The city’s published chart puts the low-income (80 percent) cap at $62,850 for a one-person household and $89,750 for a four-person household. The city also notes that households in public housing and voucher programs typically pay about 30 percent of their adjusted monthly income toward rent, which tracks with standard federal practice.
Villas on McQueen and timeline
This waitlist effort is unfolding alongside redevelopment projects such as the Villas on McQueen, a 157-unit conversion under HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. Local coverage notes that a separate, site-specific waitlist for the Villas will open later in April.
Additional background on the project comes from reporting on Chandler’s bold move for affordable housing and from the city’s own project release.
What to expect after you apply
If your pre-application is drawn in the lottery, the housing authority will send a prescreening letter asking for documentation to verify eligibility and household composition. In line with HUD guidance on waiting lists and tenant selection, agencies typically notify applicants by mail and can remove those who do not respond or whose mail is returned.
For the most accurate, up-to-date information, including the exact launch time on April 3, the list of required documents, and any accessibility accommodations, applicants are advised to rely on the city’s housing portal and the official notices it references. Keeping your mailing address, phone number, and email current will be key to not missing a prescreening letter or award notice.
