BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY, Section 8 / HCV PHA Profile
BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY administers federal Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, CA, with 2,135 authorized HCV units (HUD Standard Performer size bracket). Contact details, payment-standard reference, and nearby PHAs to broaden your waitlist strategy.
How this PHA compares nearby
Authorized HCV units · BERKELEY HA vs nearby CA agencies
- COUNTY OF BUTTE HSG AUTH
COUNTY OF BUTTE HSG AUTH
2,284 units
- This PHA
BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY (this PHA)
2,135 units
- CITY OF ALAMEDA HA
CITY OF ALAMEDA HOUSING AUTHORITY
2,059 units
- Regional HA
Regional Housing Authority
2,011 units
- HA San Buenaventura
Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura
2,002 units
- HA County of Yolo
Housing Authority of the County of Yolo
1,938 units
The verdict
BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY administers 2,135 authorized Housing Choice Vouchers - a mid-to-large Section 8 agency nationally, larger than 63% of CA agencies.
- 2,135
- authorized Section 8 vouchers
- 93th
- percentile by size, nationally
- 63th
- percentile in CA
As a HUD-certified Public Housing Authority in CA, BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY runs Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance with 2,135 authorized Section 8 units (Standard Performer size bracket). Reach the agency directly for current waitlist status and application steps.
- 63th percentile by unit count in CA
- HUD size bracket: Standard Performer
Section 8 / HCV units
2,135
Standard Performer bracket
Total authorized units
-
All programs combined
State-rank percentile
63 th
Among CA PHAs
2-BR standard range · CA
$1,054–$4,223 /mo
Median $1,505/mo · 2-BR
Compared to nationwide HUD median of 62%, PHAs with high HCV share typically focus on tenant-based assistance over project-based public housing.
Where BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY sits among U.S. PHAs
By authorized Housing Choice Vouchers, across every PHA that runs them. Most are small; a handful of big-city authorities run the long right tail.
2,135 Top 13% higher than 87% of 2,129 voucher-running PHAs
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more voucher-running PHAs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HUD PIH authorized-unit directory · FY2025
Inside HUD's Federal Record for BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY
HUD authorizes 2,135 Section 8 / HCV units for this agency. That count sits inside HUD's national PIH roster of 3,780 Section 8 agencies, CA's share of the total, where BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY is listed as an active administering entity. Under HUD's PHAS scoring, this agency carries a "Standard Performer" designation, a bracket that affects how often it reports and how closely HUD oversees it.
HUD's directory categorizes it under the "Section 8" program type, the classification that governs which voucher streams -- regular HCV, VASH, Family Unification, Mainstream, or project-based conversions -- it is eligible to run. Ranked by Section 8 unit count within CA, it sits at the 63th percentile there, ahead of 63% of CA PHAs by that measure. The federal rulebook lets every PHA set its own waitlist rules, admissions plan, and local preferences, so this authorized-unit total is best read as a program cap, not a live vacancy count.
Across CA's 51 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard runs $1,054-$4,223/month (median $1,505); BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY sets its own figure within 90-110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent for the specific area it serves, so confirm the exact number for your metro before signing anything. its main line is 5104885470. Use the nearby-PHA list below to broaden your waitlist strategy across the state.
Contact this PHA
- Phone
- 5104885470
- Fax
- 5109815480
- jyturralde@cityofberkeley.info
- Executive Director
- jwilliams@cityofberkeley.info · 5109815485
How to apply at BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY
How to apply at this PHA
Before applying, confirm whether this PHA's waitlist is currently open. Waitlist status can change without much notice, some PHAs open for as little as 72 hours at a time. Application channels typically include:
- The PHA's own website (search "BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY Section 8 application")
- A public notice posted at the PHA office or in the legal notices of the local newspaper
- HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in the area
- Local legal-aid and tenant-advocacy groups
See our step-by-step How to Apply for Section 8 guide for the full federal application process.
What to expect, typical waitlist
HUD does not publish current waitlist open/closed status centrally, and waitlist lengths vary sharply by local demand. In high-cost metros, waits can exceed 5–10 years and many waitlists are closed. In smaller cities and rural counties, waits of 6 months to 3 years are more typical. Some PHAs use a lottery rather than first-come-first-served. This site does not predict your individual wait time. Contact the PHA directly to confirm the current list status and whether local preferences apply to your household. Our waitlist strategy guide explains how to maximize your odds by applying to multiple PHAs.
Payment standard reference
Payment standards are set per HUD FMR area, not per agency. Across CA's 51 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard ranges $1,054–$4,223/month (median $1,505). BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY sets its own figure within 90–110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent for the specific area it serves.
Find your exact number: look up the 2-, 1-, and 3-bedroom payment standards for your metro with the payment-standard lookup tool, then confirm the current figure with the PHA before signing a lease. See our Payment Standards vs. FMR guide.
Nearby PHAs in CA
Waitlists open and close on their own schedules, so spreading applications across nearby PHAs improves your odds. Nearby agencies:
- CITY OF ALAMEDA HOUSING AUTHORITY · 2,059 units
- Regional Housing Authority · 2,011 units
- Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura · 2,002 units
- COUNTY OF BUTTE HSG AUTH · 2,284 units
- Housing Authority of the County of Yolo · 1,938 units
Related guides
Source: HUD PIH Open Data (FY25). Last compiled April 2026. Payment-standard figures: Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rent FY2025. If any contact detail has changed, please email corrections@plainvoucher.com. See our methodology for how we compile and cross-reference this data.
⚠ Disclaimer. PlainVoucher is not affiliated with HUD or with BERKELEY HOUSING AUTHORITY. Data here is compiled from HUD public sources for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for consulting the PHA directly about eligibility, waitlist status, or application procedures.