Overview: Lotteries and Waitlists
Affordable housing programs often face overwhelming demand for a limited number of below-market-rate opportunities. While Public House automates much of the administrative work, applications still require significant time and effort from both Applicants and staff. The lottery and waitlist features reduce application volume while prioritizing equitable access, transparent selection, and administrative efficiency.
Minimizing Application Volume
Public House lotteries and waitlists reduce workload by:
- Using screening forms—not full applications—as the entry point to the housing program. Households don't need to submit a full application to join your selection queue.
- Determining the order in which households are invited to apply. Staff can invite top-ranked households in small batches rather than processing all applications at once.
A household begins an application only after they:
- Match the housing opportunity (e.g., occupancy, income and asset limits; optionally: bedroom preference, income level).
- Indicate interest in the opportunity after reviewing property details.
- Establish sufficient priority through a lottery or waitlist ranking.
🔍 Lotteries vs. Waitlists at a Glance
While lotteries and waitlists serve similar goals—ensuring a fair and organized selection process—they are used in different scenarios and offer distinct advantages.
Feature/Goal | Lottery | Waitlist |
When to Use | One-time selection for high-demand opportunities | Ongoing or future opportunities over time |
How Households Enter | Screening forms with a defined window | Open screening forms |
How Selection Works | Random (or weighted) ranking of eligible entries | Ordered by screening submission date or priority criteria |
Application Timing | Only top-ranked invited to apply on screening form | Invited when matched and household expresses interest on invites |
Can Households Decline Offers? | Yes—offer moves to the next-ranked household | Yes, usually retain place on the waitlist |
Administrative Workload | Low—only top-ranked households apply | Moderate—requires update and match management |
Document Expiration Risk | Minimal—documents collected only when needed | Higher—applications may go stale over time |