NYC starts updating Section 8 housing applications. What to know.

NEW YORK -- If you applied for New York City's Section 8 housing waiting list, you should be getting an update as early as Thursday.

The New York City Housing Authority randomly selected 200,000 households to join the waiting list after holding a lottery in June . It was the first time applications opened in nearly 15 years .

NYCHA says families will be notified about their application status by email and by U.S. mail starting Thursday.

Those who made the waiting list will then be able to set up an online profile to track their status and complete the next steps.

"NYCHA will begin the work of issuing housing vouchers, providing much-needed relief to families searching for affordable housing," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement Thursday. "However, our work is far from over. Our administration will continue to use every possible tool, including advocating for the passage of 'City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,' to build and connect New Yorkers to the affordable housing our city's residents need."

Section 8 applications open to massive demand

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program offers subsidies to eligible low-income families, so they can rent in the private market. Eligibility is based on factors like income, family size, immigration status and criminal history.

NYCHA runs the largest Section 8 program in the country with 85,000 current vouchers. Applications for the waiting list opened for one week in June – for the first time since December 2009.

The agency said it received a total of 638,224 applications, including 301,044 within the first 24 hours.

Section 8 housing waiting list – how it works

After families are selected for the waiting list, they have to be approved before receiving a Housing Choice Voucher.

They may be asked to update their applications or take part in follow-up interviews, so they must stay in touch or risk being removed from the list.

Housing Choice Vouchers determine the unit size that a family can search for, and how long they have to find a place.

Typically, a family will pay 30% to 40% of its adjusted monthly income on rent, and NYCHA pays the rest.

Voucher holders can look for a unit in all five boroughs using NYCHA's online portal or AffordableHousing.com .

Most vouchers are valid for 180 days, and units must be approved before moving in.

Find out more from NYCHA's Section 8 application guide here.